


Wandering Weiss

by TheTrueOverlordBear



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Gen, i leave the compositions and lyrics to your imagination, it's not really a songfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:26:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8027833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTrueOverlordBear/pseuds/TheTrueOverlordBear
Summary: Were it not for a wandering musician's cynical words, Weiss Schnee would have continued on the path to becoming a Huntress. Now, a disinherited Weiss lives as a wandering singer, trying to be a hero in a different manner, with that wandering musician named Jaune Arc as a companion...





	1. A Change of Path

Weiss Schnee took pride in being a Schnee who thought differently than most of her family members, with her older sister Winter being an exception.

"Are you sure about doing this, Weiss?" said older sister asked her, sitting beside each other on the younger sister's bed. "The world out there is dangerous, and all the more so for a Schnee."

She could've entered Beacon Academy. Weiss knew that.

Thing is, the society she wanted to help showed her a different picture...the bigger picture.

"I _was_ going to enroll into Beacon Academy," Weiss answered, holding a pillow close to her chest. "But recently, I've been feeling like I'll just waste my life by becoming a Huntress."

Winter, ever the dear older sister, nodded, allowing Weiss to continue.

"Still, I can see the merits of living as a Huntress," the younger sister continued. "But now, I don't think that life would be enough for me."

She looked beyond the transparent window of her room. The falling snow that she often enjoyed now felt like they were burying her heart.

"What changed your mind, then?" Winter asked, and that was the big question, wasn't it?

Weiss could have said that she was inspired by some wandering musician, some romantic event that children would enjoy.

_"You know...I liked you and your singing...until I found out about you wanting to become a Huntress."_

Yes, she was inspired by a wandering musician, but by one with a with a cynical perspective on Hunters. They had an argument, and she was silenced by his cynical words.

_"Hunters don't understand the bigger picture. Helping others isn't just killing Grimm, arresting criminals, and wrecking things with sword-guns."_

Cynical, yes...but he had a point. A point she hated, but a point worth pondering about. Or maybe it was just her wanting to prove him wrong and beat him at his own game. Either way, the life of a Huntress seemed so stupid now.

Weiss wanted to run the Schnee Dust Company better when she inherited it eventually, but if running it meant turning herself into a distant and nearsighted figure on a pedestal?

"I realized that I haven't been looking at the bigger picture, Winter."

 _"And I think I should go search for myself and what I'm supposed to be,"_ Weiss didn't admit out loud. _"Without the rest of the family and the SDC interfering."_

* * *

Weiss had expected the disinheritance, but that never took away the pain brought upon by her father's declaration.

_"You disappoint me. Get out of my sight."_

She would have broken down on the spot if she didn't remember Winter. Still, she couldn't hold a little of the tears back as she turned her back on her father, whose hopes she had utterly crushed.

Weiss wanted to rebel against her family's darkness...not lose her family.

"It's okay, Weiss. I'll welcome you if you'd like to visit me."

She would keep her crying quiet. She didn't want to fall apart further than she already had.

"Still, don't you dare give up now, Weiss. I'm certain that you can fulfill your dreams."

Good thing Winter still supported her.

"And if you think that you can't, then I shall try to help you with the best of my abilities."

Now, she would move forward. Weiss saw no other way but that.

"Thank you, Winter," she said, letting go of the embrace they shared. "I need to pack my things now."

"Don't bring too many things with you, then." Winter replied, before she paused and thought in silence for some moments. "Have you decided about where you will go first, though?"

Now that made Weiss pause to think as well.

Where would she go?

Where would she stay?

There were a lot of other important questions, and they had begun to overwhelm her.

Yes, Weiss had begun to realize the gravity of her actions.

Still, Weiss was a stubborn girl. She had decided to go on the path of a wandering singer, and she had no other way but forward.

"Hm...perhaps you will be able to get along with a certain wandering musician I hired, Weiss."

And it seemed like Weiss had found the way forward.

* * *

"Weiss Schnee? Aren't you supposed to be in Beacon Academy right now, trying to be one of them?"

Weiss never really expected the way forward to have the musician who led her towards becoming a wandering singer, though.

"I changed my mind," Weiss told the blonde musician, not letting herself waste what was probably the only way for her to properly start her journey as a wandering singer. "And I was wondering if you wouldn't mind a singer accompanying you in your travels."

At that, he stared at her.

Then, he laughed.

Weiss had a hard time keeping her cool, but she persevered.

"Wow, I never expected myself to be that inspirational," the musician said, grinning.

"What is he talking about, Weiss?" Winter suddenly asked. She didn't know about that mind-changing conversation, after all.

"I complained, basically," said the mind-changing musician. "We had an argument, and I won."

Weiss silently nodded, although she frowned at the smugness of that irritating young man. He was correct, but he didn't need to rub it in.

"So," he continued, offering a hand and a smirk, "Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

"As if, you dolt," Weiss shot back. "I am willing to go travel with you, but I will not tolerate your irritating attitude."

"Try me, then, Ice Queen," the blonde challenged, still smirking.

Weiss facepalmed and counted to ten.

"Are you sure about this, Weiss?" asked the older Schnee sister. "Perhaps we should find a more respectable musician," she added, glaring daggers at the young man whom she had hired for a performance at a recent SDC ball.

The younger Schnee sister shook her head, though.

"Irritating he may be," Weiss reasoned, "But I need someone with what they call 'street smarts.' Did I use that term right, Mr. Arc?"

At that, Arc stared.

Then, he snickered.

He wasn't even fazed by the glares he was receiving from two scions of a wealthy and powerful family.

"It's funny to hear someone like you say stuff like that," he said, "But yeah, you used it right. Also, just call me 'Jaune.' No need to be so formal, and I'm not quite older than you, you know. Like, I'm seventeen years old right now."

That made Weiss raise an eyebrow. He sounded older than the age he claimed to be when she remembered the way he talked to her the other day.

Still, Weiss would go with him. She didn't want to stay for longer in the mansion she needed to leave.

"Very well, then," Weiss said with a nod. "Please inform me when you're going to leave."

"Okay," Arc replied, walking past the recently disinherited girl. "We're leaving right now, then."

"What? Right now?"

"Yeah," he answered, back facing his new companion. "If you're gonna be slow with your last-minute preparations, then you'll have to grow up some more, Ice Queen."

"Mr. Arc, I will not tolerate your - "

"No," Weiss interrupted, raising a hand in front of her older sister. "No need, Winter."

Weiss would prove herself. She decided to take this rocky path, and she will not run away from it.

"I'm going to be traveling light."

* * *

"Your bag's fine, but what about your hair?"

Weiss felt a headache growing. If Arc were more polite, she would have listened calmly, but no, she had to deal with his grating idiocy.

"What is that supposed to mean, you dolt?" she spat. Weiss really didn't like where this conversation would most likely go to.

"Your long hair looks pretty heavy, Ice Queen," he answered, pointing to a side of his head to reflect the side which had her ponytail. "I don't mind long hair, but there is such a thing as hair that's too long for wandering."

Weiss groaned. As much as she loved her hair and hated his argument, he had a point again. The length of her hair would make it easy for street rats to stop her from moving, and even if she could maintain decent combat ability despite her hair's length, traveling as a wanderer would make such a length impractical.

"Fine," Weiss grumbled. "I'll do it myself. Do you have a pair of scissors?"

"Do I look like I have a pair of scissors with me?" Arc asked back, making a show out of showing his bag and his guitar case. "Ow!"

"I'll be buying a pair, then," Weiss declared, taking a platform heel off Arc's foot before walking her way to a shop. "With your money," she added, showing his wallet between her fingers, "So that you won't be going anywhere else until I've done what I need to do."

Weiss had discovered some perks that disinheritance brought, so she decided to utilize them. Besides, she had had enough of Arc's attitude.

Perhaps her rebellion wasn't as bad as she thought back there, then.

* * *

Short hair felt insufficient, and ponytails felt inefficient, so...

"You look like your sister."

"Is that supposed to be a insult?"

Weiss, after cutting her hair in front of a restroom mirror and leaving the hair length at around upper back level, decided to bunch her hair into a bun similar to her older sister's. Unlike Winter's hairstyle, though, Weiss had her bangs cut short.

It was something to remember her older sister by, all while Weiss incorporated her individuality into it.

"Not really, honestly," Arc answered, taking in the sight of Weiss's new hairstyle. "It's not bad," he added. "It fits you."

"As it should be," Weiss responded, unable to suppress the proud smile that formed on her face. "Here's your wallet, then."

Arc then took some time to silently check at the wallet in his hand..

"Huh...I was expecting you to be more extravagant with my lien," he commented as he pocketed his wallet, "But I guess I thought wrong."

"I'm not that stupid, Arc," Weiss shot back while they started walking again. "I regret losing the luxuries of being an heiress, but I will not forget about the importance of being economical."

"Wow, I guess should I leave you alone, then," the blonde snarked. "Clearly, you know everything about life."

The former heiress grumbled, but she didn't dare impart physical harm upon her companion.

"Alright, then," she said, slowing down. "Where are we going next, _oh fearless leader_?" she continued with added sarcasm.

Weiss kept her eyes trained on him when she saw Arc's eye twitch at her question. Then, she saw his face crinkle into a grimace, turning away in a futile attempt to hide the fear she expected to be shown eventually.

"...Vale," he answered. "We're gonna ride a Bullhead..."

"And what's wrong with a Bullhead?" she wondered with with a gleam in her eyes. "Motion sick?"

The curse that came out of his mouth made her grin.

"Shouldn't you be bringing medicine for such a problem, dear _street-smart_ wanderer?" Weiss continued. "It's such a basic thing, you know."

"Being street-smart doesn't mean being loaded with money, Ice Queen!" Arc shouted back at her. "And are you asking me to leave you alone here, Ms. Wannabe Wandering Singer?"

The former heiress's expression then twisted into a scowl, for she had met another hated but valid point.

And so, the snarking and wandering duo went on a Bullhead ride to Vale.

Also, Weiss realized that observing her blonde companion being disturbed by his motion sickness wasn't as funny as she first thought. It was more awkward and disgusting than funny and ego-boosting, really, especially with her sitting right next to him.

Weiss reminded herself about how she chose this path, counting to a hundred and "I brought this upon myself, and there is absolutely no turning back now..."

* * *

"So you're testing me?" Weiss asked, referring to her companion's mockery. "If you were expecting surprise from me, then... _Wow, I'm sooo surprised._ "

"Oh yeah, I'm surprised too," Arc retorted, doing an irritating imitation of Weiss's voice."I'll keep the sarcasm going, and I'll be left all alone in a hotel, no money to pay for the one room that's supposed to be paid by Jaune Arc and his limited money in the wallet that I took from him again!"

Arc received a pillow to the face for that.

"You're lucky I have standards," he muttered while putting the pillow in between his head and the floor.

"As if you have standards," the former heiress scoffed. "And if you do have standards, I doubt that they're agreeable."

"Shut up and enjoy your bed, Ice Queen. You need your voice tomorrow."

At that, Weiss had to squash the building savagery inside her.

Yes, she hated how he had been talking to her. Yes, she felt like he deserved the barbs she shot back at him.

Still, she had chosen to go with him. She knew that he was a cynical young man, and that he knew important things that she hadn't learned much before.

To top it all off, a single day hadn't even passed in her journey as a wandering singer. And yet, here she was, struggling with keeping her cool.

Winter would be disappointed, yes, but Weiss wasn't going down.

It hurt to admit that she was being immature, but Weiss wasn't going to give up on trying to become a true hero.

If she needed to be humbled, then she would take it.

And so, Weiss huffed, swallowing her pride as she laid on her side and covered half of her face with the blanket she had.

"I'd like to apologize, then," she tried to say out loud, but it ended up coming out as a whisper. It was harder than she expected, but again, no turning back.

So, the former heiress rolled over to look at the one who should be receiving her apology. She paused, closing her eyes, and then she took a deep breath.

And when she opened her eyes...

"Jaune," she called, choosing to call him by the name he asked to be called. "Are you still awake?"

He turned his head to look at her.

"Yeah," he answered. "I'm still awake."

Then, Weiss closed her eyes again.

Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"I'd like to apologize," she declared, forcing her eyes open. "For my rudeness." And then another deep breath. "I would be wasting my life if I continue with that sort of immature attitude."

There was silence after that.

Jaune looked at her, and Weiss couldn't figure out what emotion he currently held through his face. She hoped that he wasn't going to mock her again, too. If he mocked her again, then she'd let her savagery explode on him.

Then, after what felt like a long while of silence, he replied.

"I'm sorry as well, then...Weiss," he said, blue eyes open as it focused on her lighter blue ones. "I was looking down on you, and I didn't consider you someone who could think better."

Snarky and cynical he may be, but when she listened to him say that, she felt like he actually had standards that were better than what she first thought. She had some doubt, yes, but she would give him a chance, since their journey together hadn't even gone past a day yet.

"Thank you," Weiss decided to say, rolling over to have her back facing him while she went to sleep. "And good night."

"You're welcome," he answered back. "And thanks," he followed up. "And good night."

And then there was calm silence.

Weiss breathed a soft sigh of relief, and sleep came to take her some time later.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Some fact about this: This isn't my first uploaded contribution to the archive of RWBY fanfiction. If you're looking for that, then go check out the third chapter of The League of Extraordinary Jaune-tlemen. Warning: It's filled with insanity, particularly of the yandere kind.

Anyway, about this fanfic, well, doing a forum version of Coeur Al'Aran and College Fool's The Writer Games in the Professor Arc Forum in FanFiction.net got me spawning a bunch of different Weisses. This Weiss isn't from one of my entries in that, but writing those Weisses made me more inclined towards writing this fanfic. Also, speaking of inspiration, I drew some of that from Coeur's "Winter is Coming" entry in The Writer Games for this fanfic's Jaune.

As for the music in this fanfic about a wandering singer, her companion guitarist, and their travels, well...I'll be writing some details, but I won't go as far as writing down stuff like chord progressions and song lyrics. The rest of the details is something that I'd like to leave to you and your imagination, dear readers. Feel free to look for appropriate music, or, if you're feeling confident enough, write your own songs for this fanfic.

Now, I'd like to say this: Honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	2. Beginner's Luck

Being in front of an audience was nothing new to Weiss. Being a Schnee scion required her to be a master of it, after all. She was trained to kill her own stage fright ever since childhood.

She never expected to perform in front of a not so large audience in the restaurant of some not so known hotel, though. Honestly, she was starting to miss the theater with an audience that had all their eyes on her.

"Nervous, Ice Queen?"

Again, Weiss reminded herself about not taking her companion guitarist too seriously. This day was the second day of her journey as a wandering singer, and she would be very furious with herself if she were to let her composure break so quickly.

So, she closed her eyes, doing her best to not let her nervousness take control of her.

Although there was not much pressuring influence that compelled her to overachieve now, there were traces of that, calling to her from her memories.

She had to be perfect.

Could she really do that, though?

What could be waiting beyond one mistake? Another mistake? A spiral of mistakes?

Schnees can't afford to make mistakes.

But Weiss was disinherited.

Winter still supported her, though. Perhaps that would be a good enough reason for Weiss to keep on clinging to the name that made a part of who she was.

Still, calling herself a Schnee in public would be calling humiliation upon her, so...

"Well, I hope you're ready now, Wandering Weiss, 'cause it's showtime."

...she would go by a stage name, wearing a white and blue and dress with no glittering jewelry nor her family's crest.

* * *

A slow strum was the start.

After the fourth strum, she started to hum.

Recently memorized lyrics and melody, memorized in the hours of practice before the evening of the dinner performance, were rising to the front of her mind as she hummed through the next four strums.

It was a song she had heard in the city every now and then. Jaune said that it had popularity, but such a song was new to Weiss, who had never been exposed much to the music that the masses enjoyed.

The blonde guitarist was playing with a slower arrangement, which Weiss enjoyed more compared to the original, which was too fast and too loud for her taste. Jaune also added their audience of hotel restaurant patrons as a reason for his slowed pace.

With Jaune Arc's arrangement, Wandering Weiss sang a song that echoed rebellion, determination, and hope.

Although she noticed some slip-ups that made her want to stop, Weiss kept on singing.

She closed her eyes for more focus.

When she opened them, she would meet the eyes of the audience.

She would give them her attention, and they would give her their attention.

The silent viewing of her audience refreshed her somewhat, too. It reminded her of her performances before this one, performances done in front of audiences who kept their eyes and ears sharp on how she looked and sounded.

Keeping up with the steady tempo of Jaune's strumming was easy. She had never sung with an acoustic guitar accompanying her before, having performed with only orchestras and classical instruments in the past, but she found the acoustic guitar easy to like, especially with the song that she was singing.

When she noticed the small bits of nervousness that she had, her singing part had reached its end, and Jaune was doing the final strums.

Some seconds later, there was clapping from the audience. It was not as loud as the large theater audience Weiss was used to, but it had enough volume to make her smile and curtsy to the audience.

Wandering Weiss smiled at her blonde guitarist companion as well, and he gave her a small smile and a nod in return.

That was just the first song, though.

Weiss stepped back, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

It was time for her to remember more lyrics and melodies, while Jaune played an instrumental intermission.

It felt like those days when she was the Schnee heiress, days when she felt a strong need to fulfill others' expectations well.

But in this performance, Weiss didn't feel the pressure of strict schedules, stringent requirements, and sharp-eyed overseers.

With that, the former heiress felt more refreshed as she and her companion guitarist continued their performance.

* * *

"I can't believe that it's been only two days..."

"Well, better not melt so fast, then, Ice Queen."

They were having breakfast at the restaurant where they had performed during the previous night. Their meal wasn't as lavish as what Weiss used to have back at the Schnee mansion and at all the gatherings that people of her former standing went to, but it wasn't like she couldn't enjoy what she was eating now.

Also, she'd be praising the chef for the nice serving of vegetables after she finished eating her meal.

As for the duo's performance during the previous night, their employers and the patrons were fairly impressed. Weiss got some compliments too, both on her singing and on her looks.

Although the former heiress found them strange when she remembered her nerves-affected singing and her modest white dress, she accepted the compliments and thanked her audience for their appreciation.

Jaune looked like he had faded into the background during that time, though. And speaking of which...

"Are you put off by the difference in reception, Jaune?" Weiss asked. "I noticed you receiving praise as well, but you seemed to be a forgotten figure to the restaraunt's patrons last night."

"My pride is wounded, Madam," Jaune said, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his chest in an exaggerated manner. "But, seriously," he continued, going back to normal, "I'm happy as long as I do a good job of helping the audience unwind well. Gotta keep spirits up in this Grimm-infested world, you know."

"And I don't think my singing would have elicited a good response from the audience without your performance, Jaune," Weiss replied, "So I thank you very much for that."

"You're welcome, then," the blonde continued with a smile. "I'm glad that a pretty and skilled singer like you recognizes a dorky and near-invisible instrumentalist's efforts."

Weiss blushed and looked away when he said that.

"Thank you, but...don't think you can go that far yet, Arc," she said.

And now, she needed to talk about something that didn't involve aggravating her teenage hormones.

Then, she remembered something.

It was probably going to be a boring topic to Jaune, but that made it very suitable for diverting Weiss's mind away from the awkwardness. So yes, she would talk about...

"Hm...I have my Aura unlocked."

Weiss also touched the scar over her left eye, and then she found out that yes, it was still there.

"Where'd you get that scar?" Jaune inquired, eyes on the feature in question before adjusting for eye contact. "If it's okay to ask, that is. Scars on people with unlocked Aura are pretty weird to have."

The wandering singer considered what to say, and then she answered.

"Crazy examination by my father. I wanted to go to Beacon Academy instead of Atlas Academy, and he was...uncertain about my worth."

"Did he send hordes of Grimm on you?" he guessed.

"Well...it was just one giant Grimm-possessed armor with a giant sword."

"And it sliced your face hard enough?"

"Yes," she confirmed, pausing to remember the wild mix of emotions she had during that dangerous time. "Painful," she said after a deep breath, "But I have recovered."

 _"And here I am, putting myself in such a troublesome way of life,"_ Weiss added in her mind but didn't say out loud, for Jaune didn't need to hear that petty complaint. Dealing with trouble is a part of life, after all. What's important is how to deal with it.

As for Jaune, he was giving a mildly impressed look, which was off-putting. Still, considering his perspective on Hunters, it was understandable to Weiss.

Suddenly, a detail she had learned from those long hours of studying popped up in the front of her mind.

"Hold on...your last name is 'Arc,' correct?"

The Arc in front of her looked nonchalant toward her question.

"Yeah, I'm one of those Arcs," he confirmed. "If you're wondering why I'm living like this, I decided to go for a different path after knowing some true stories about them through my family. I didn't even have my Aura unlocked, too, just to show them that I don't want to be a Hunter."

The former heiress nodded in understanding, but she still couldn't help worrying.

"What if you encounter Grimm out there?" Weiss asked.

"Then you'll be my meat-shield," he jokingly answered, doing shooting motions with his finger guns.

"I'm being serious here, Arc."

"Then I'll have you unlock my Aura for you and your confidence, Mom," he responded, grinning. "And have my guitar turned into a Grimm-slaying weapon, if that's even possible. I still won't enroll into a Hunter Academy, though."

The former heiress groaned at her Arc companion. Really, how does he even manage to survive traveling across Remnant with that sort of attitude?

"And I thought we were establishing more rapport with each other here..." she muttered, also not voicing her thoughts about how much his attitude reminded her of her arrogance.

"No need to be so negative, Ice Queen."

"But don't you have cynical views on Hunters, Arc?"

"Huh...good point." And he looked up in thought. "I guess I've been letting the negativity into me a lot lately, then." He slouched on his chair. "Life's tough on the streets, and being frequently reminded about your limits and the world's crappiness can take a toll on one's spirit, making you want to snark at everything."

Weiss could relate to that, and so...

"Well now..." the former heiress replied with a smile, "How old are you again?"

"I'm sixty-seven years old, Madam," he joked back, grinning again, "And I didn't realize that the past five months had me spending ten years per month." Then, he dropped his grin, changing it for a pensive expression. "Seriously, the past five months felt pretty slow to me. They shook me pretty hard with things I had never expected."

She had the desire to take an opportunity for more humor, but she couldn't bring herself to do so at that point. Weiss, who was at the early stages of her journey as a wandering singer, felt more inclined towards doing some serious thinking.

"Hm..."

Jaune's personality made more sense to her now, and it made her wonder about what was in store for her in the future.

Unlike her life back when she was the Schnee heiress, there were no more incessant reminders about what she was supposed to do next and how she was supposed to do them. There were no more bodyguards hiding nearby for her protection, too, and Grimm and criminal attacks weren't the only dangers that she should be worrying about.

Weiss could see a bright side to this life of hers, yes, but still...

"Trying to be a proper adult sure is tough, huh?"

Jaune stared at his plate, and he nodded.

"Yeah..."

Breakfast now felt harder to take, but still, Weiss strove towards leaving no leftovers in her meal.

Wasting food had become more dangerous, after all.

* * *

"So, I got offers from some of my past employers recently, and they're really interested in the wandering singer who'll be performing with me when I drop by their places again."

While they were out on a walk on the streets of Vale during one of their breaktimes, Jaune told Weiss about that, his scroll in his hand as he smiled at his companion singer.

"I hope you didn't tell them things I wouldn't dare reveal to them, then," Weiss replied, giving a side glance before focusing on the path ahead again.

"Don't worry, I didn't call you 'Ice Queen' when I wrote about you," he assured. "That's a name I prefer calling you during private times, see."

He let out a laugh as he dodged a swipe from Weiss to his face.

"Please stop that idiotic manner which you are using to interact with me," the heiress requested with a glare. "I am willing to establish a friendship with you, but I do not have a lot of patience for lack of propriety."

Jaune pouted and sighed at that.

"Okay, fine..."

"Were you going to call me 'Prissy Mother' or something similar again there, Mr. Arc?"

Mr. Arc's next sigh was more drawn-out.

"Yes," he said with no amusement in his voice. "Just shut up already, please, and I'll do what you want."

Weiss couldn't help smirking at that, but she made sure that she wouldn't speak further.

And so, they walked around with no words to each other for a while.

Suddenly...

"There was this one gig I had in Mistral once," Jaune started telling, "And it involved a Hunter."

Weiss, making sure to keep silent as long as Jaune didn't do anything inappropriate, gave him a look with a raised eyebrow.

"So, I was performing in an inn with a pub," the blonde continued, "When suddenly, this guy stumbles in, and when I saw the blade hanging on his back, I knew he was a Hunter.

"But hey, as long as he wasn't wrecking the pub, I'd keep on performing. Still, I felt nervous 'cause of that guy, whose drunkenness I eventually noticed, and if there are two things that shouldn't be mixed together, they're Hunters and alcohol.

"Eventually, my fears started to come true when he went 'Hey waitress!' with that sore-throaty voice of his. The waitress he called was also the innkeeper, who was also really kind and really attractive.

"So, Madam Innkeeper approaches Drunk Hunter and asks for his order. Then, Drunk Hunter goes and asks 'Can I ask for a room...under your skirt?'

"At that, I stopped my performance. It was a pretty good idea, considering how the atmosphere in the place went heavy. Madam Innkeeper had her eyes narrowed, and the patrons in the pub looked ready to murder Drunk Hunter.

"Now, the question is: 'Did Drunk Hunter take a hint?'

"Well, I facepalmed at his reaction, so the answer is 'No, Drunk Hunter didn't take a hint.' If I remember correctly, he followed up with 'Really, that skirt length can kill Grimm!'

"He laughed hard at his own lame joke after that, and then a brawl started. And while that started, Madam Innkeeper gave me my pay immediately, apologizing and asking me to leave before I got caught in the chaos. I complied, and the last thing I saw her doing before I ran away was throwing Drunk Hunter outside for a beatdown with less collateral damage. Oh, and yeah, he definitely deserved that beatdown. Would have been fun to watch if it weren't for the crazy aura of killing intent back there."

Then, after telling that story, Jaune looked at Weiss for a response.

The wandering singer had her jaw hanging open at the crazy tale she had just heard. She wasn't sure about how much in that tale was actually true, but if that actually happened, not only did it give her chills about the trouble she can encounter in the future, it was also a very disappointing thing for a Hunter to start.

Really, how does a Hunter like that have the guts to do such stupid things?

Then, Weiss suddenly remembered the concept of "drinking one's sorrows away," and that made her worry about what kind of life would await her if she decided to push towards becoming a Huntress. And yes, she knew that it would be a tough life, but she always thought that she would be able to handle it with enough preparation, which she thought she did often.

But still, that dreaded question was there: What if her preparations weren't enough? What was the point of preparing, then?

"Unbelievable..." was the first word she uttered in response to Jaune's tale. She didn't want to say more, didn't want to look weak in front of another person, let alone the blonde guitarist who would probably take it as a chance to rub it into her.

"I know, right?" said blonde guitarist replied. "Not like Hunters can't do good, but I wish they had more restrictions on them..."

And again, Weiss felt like she hadn't been looking at the bigger picture. She wished that life wouldn't be a struggle, too, but she pushed that cowardly thought away.

Suddenly, the sound of a ringing scroll caught the duo's attention.

The blonde guitarist took his scroll from his pocket and opened it.

"Well," he said as he read the message he received, "We gotta go get ready for our next gig."

And they turned around, walking back to get their things from the hotel where they were staying.

Weiss looked at their next gig as an opportunity to improve herself, but she also felt heaviness inside her heart.

The former heiress shook her head, taking deep breaths as she tried to keep herself calm and composed, reminding herself that she had survived heavier times before. Harsh teachers, ruthless terrorists...she had managed to survive even with their presence in her life.

The anxiety was still there, though.

Weiss dearly hoped that her anxiety wouldn't show in her upcoming performance.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And there we have it: Weiss's first performance as a wandering singer. As I've said in the previous chapter's A/N, I won't be writing stuff as specific as chord progressions and song lyrics. Still, feel free to look for or even write appropriate music for the performance segments.

Also, Weiss and Jaune will be in Vale for a significant while. I have plans for them, and said plans involve a bunch of other RWBY characters crossing paths with them. Those plans can still go through changes, though, especially with your feedback, dear readers.

So yeah, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	3. Steps, Stumbles, and Safeguards

"You okay there, Weiss?"

"..."

It was one of those days when Weiss felt really lazy. Even though she managed to do a praiseworthy performance during their previous gig, singing a song that held the opposite of her feelings reminded her very much about the anxiety within her. Now, with that anxiety still mixing in, she felt the desire to stay on the hotel room bed for the majority of the day. She didn't like being asked about it as well, because looking bad in front of others made her very angry. Asking her about it would practically be rubbing it in.

Normally, Weiss would push it down with help from her strict family, but that was a life that she had left behind now.

And speaking of the life Weiss had left behind, she really hated admitting how much she missed her former home and the activities that came with it. Her former routine felt more organized, unlike this life of wandering that hadn't gone past a month yet. There was no one giving her frequent and rigorous reminders to keep her on track, and if there were, their presences wouldn't be able to be as strong as it was back then.

And yes, she hated admitting her regret about being disinherited. She'd cry about it, but she didn't want to do that in front of other people.

She didn't want others to see a single sign of weakness in her.

And then she remembered her interactions with Jaune Arc.

Now that got her trying to bury her face into a pillow.

She'd kill him if he wasn't practically her lifeline in this path she decided to take! Not like she looked at him in _that_ sort of way, though!

"Damn teenage hormones..." the angry girl grumbled.

Anyway...maybe he would be of some help if he managed to put up with her for this long.

But first, she had to take a really deep breath.

A really deep breath.

Really deep -

"So, what do you wanna talk about?"

Weiss paused.

Then, she took the pillow off her face.

"I will smother you with this pillow if you continue to disrupt my natural order, Arc," she growled, glaring at the blonde who was sitting on the floor.

"What's your natural order, then, Ice Queen?" he responded, smiling like he knew what she was going to say next.

And it seemed like he had a good guess about her next words, because Weiss's next words were...

"I...I don't know..."

There was silence after she said that.

Weiss stared at what was above her, at the ceiling that was suffocatingly lower than what she was used to.

"Homesick?"

She would stay on the path of a wandering singer because she chose it and won't back down from it, but still...

"I hate to admit it, but...yes. I'm homesick. And anxious."

The wandering duo shared silence again.

"Well..." Jaune spoke, breaking the silence, "If you want, you can talk about how life was like back with your family and stuff. Maybe even do that while we're walking outside. What do you think?"

Weiss thought about that.

She missed her family, missed all the comforts they brought, and the hotel room wasn't helping her calm down.

"I'd like to do that, then," the former heiress answered, lifting herself up and getting off the bed. "Talking while walking outside, that is."

"That's good, then," Jaune said, standing up and opening the door for Weiss. He did so with a smile that held no derision, too.

Quietly, Weiss admired her companion's truly friendly smile as she walked out of the room.

* * *

A breeze blew as Weiss and Jaune walked through the streets of Vale during the night. They had no gig for that night, too, which meant that they could take their time with chatting and walking.

As for the chatting which was yet to begin, Weiss looked at her companion to see if he was ready to listen. He noticed her gaze quickly, and he nodded at her before looking back at the path ahead of them.

The former heiress took a deep breath, trying to still her trembling form, and then she began.

"Everyone expects me to be perfect," she said, pausing and making sure to keep her pace moderate. "Anything less is no good for a Schnee, after all."

Jaune gave a glance and nodded when Weiss waited to observe his reaction.

At that, she continued, her eyes on the ground ahead of her, trying to keep her breathing at an acceptable pace, although that was beginning to be more of a struggle now.

"I know that I allowed myself to be dishinherited...but I'm having second thoughts now, and...it makes me angry at myself."

The creeping fear she felt while she talked about her problems wasn't helping, too. She wanted to punch something or someone, scream out in public or at the nearest person, but the thought of doing those foolish acts gave her more shame than motivation.

"I especially hate talking about foolish things like this with other people. I don't want to be a burden, and I don't want to be an idiot. I'd rather forget about all this pain by pressing onward, doing what I need to be doing: Be the perfection that everyone wants and needs."

"But we're not perfect," her listener responded.

Suddenly, all those heavy memories went through her mind again, piling up to form that dissatisfaction that was loathed by her and her family.

"And I hate it!" the former heiress shouted.

Then, she saw something she didn't expect.

"Agh...forgot about your Aura..." he breathed out, making Weiss notice the pain in her left fist and the bruise and blood on Jaune face.

The former heiress quickly realized what she had just done, and so, she knelt down.

"I...I'm sorry!"

She hesitated about moving closer, though, and she stayed there, head facing downwards as she felt anger at herself again.

Her confidence in herself had went down, and she doubted how much of a help she could be with her messed-up thinking. Still, she wanted to help, and with that, she was stuck in indecision.

"Damn, I should have my Aura unlocked if you're going to be this rough...but don't be hasty, Ice Queen."

That made her pause in her hesitation. Even though she felt a lot of discomfort at letting his face stay like that, she didn't want to destroy the friendship she was struggling to form with Jaune.

And so, she sat down on the concrete sidewalk, leaning on a wall. She sat right beside Jaune, but she didn't dare look at the cheek she had bruised, the lip she had split, and the tooth he spat out of his mouth.

"I could just up and leave you, you know..."

"Then do it," Weiss cut in. "You don't want a burden, right?"

"I'm not done talking, Weiss," Jaune countered. "I could just up and leave you, but that would make me feel worse."

"Then don't leave," she answered with a sullen tone. "I hope you won't regret your choice."

"I would regret it if I just let you keep on being like that, Weiss!" the blonde shouted. "Sure, you'll mess up at times, but does that mean you can't do anything good? Is the praise from our past audiences not worth anything?"

Weiss answered with silence, unable to find a suitable counterargument.

"Sure, you act like you have a stick up your ass outside performances," he continued, "But even though you've been living the life of a wandering singer for a few days, I managed to see that you can actually do good things, Weiss. You don't need to put the whole world on your shoulders, too. Other people are here to help, and disregarding them is a pretty arrogant thing to do. So just...just do your best, Weiss. And call for help when you need it. You're doing a good job with the calling for help, by the way."

Listening to Jaune made Weiss feel angry, but she tried harder towards not letting the anger control her like it did when she threw that Aura-powered punch at him. At the same time, she understood what he meant. Her arrogance was showing again, and she had been depending on herself too much, afraid to trust in others, especially in the people who showed willingness to give help when she needed it.

There was Winter, and there was Jaune. Few they may be, but that did not negate their importance.

Weiss took a deep breath, and then...

"I find such faith from you surprising, but still...Thank you," the former heiress told her blonde companion, making eye contact as well. "And I'm really sorry for the trouble...especially for the damage that I caused to your face."

"Eh, that can be healed," Jaune replied, wearing that friendly smile again (but with a split lip and one tooth missing, creating a somewhat jarring sight), which then turned into a face of hesitation. "Uh, do you mind if I ask you to unlock my Aura?"

Weiss didn't waste that opportunity.

"Sure," she answered with a bright smile, and then she reached an open hand out to touch his chest.

Weiss closed her eyes, drawing upon her Aura, and then...

"At perfection, we aim, and our limits, we break. Through such efforts, we rise above, meeting the glory that we rightfully deserve. Capable of immortality, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, uplift thee."

Those words echoed within her as she said them, and she felt a significant flow of Aura going out of her. The speed of the flow increased and increased, and then suddenly, it stopped, leaving her with Aura reserves that were missing a big chunk.

With that, Weiss ended up dropping her hand and falling forward.

"Whoa!" she heard Jaune say. "Careful now..."

"Ugh..." Weiss groaned as she tried to deal with the dizziness that had set in. "I know that unlocking another person's Aura is taxing, but I guess first-hand experience would be more inclined towards showing a different picture..."

"Well, at least my face is healing!" Jaune declared, and Weiss smiled at that...until she realized her current position.

No scent and heat and such things for those damn teenage hormones, alright! Push away from that disturbing body, and lean on a wall in the distance!

"Charmed by the Arc Charm, Ice Queen?" she heard him ask with an irritating tone.

And so, Weiss felt significantly less regret after punching Jaune's Aura-guarded face with her Aura-powered fist.

The blonde idiot laughed it off, though, but that laughter was short-lived, for he froze upon realizing something.

"I'm gonna be more of a punching bag, aren't I?"

Weiss lost the desire to punch him again after that.

Instead, she laughed.

* * *

"So, when's our next gig?"

"We don't have one 'til next week."

"Okay...where to now, then?"

"Uhh...we stay here in Vale and play music on the streets?"

Weiss sighed, reminding herself about needing to get used to the life of a wanderer.

"I think we should consider having a break, though," the former heiress said. "We've spent a lot of energy on performing, and I wouldn't want to us to be exhausted in our next gig. We can't perform continuously forever, after all." Then, she looked at Jaune. "Do you have any affordable ideas in mind for our breaktime, then, Jaune?"

At that, the blonde guitarist looked up and then around. Then, he stopped at a certain building up ahead.

"How about the arcade?"

Weiss gave said building a look from the sidewalk where she stood.

The more she looked at that building, the more she felt like a giddy little kid who discovered Wonderland.

Of course, she tried to not let it show on her face. Now that would be embarrassing...

Still, it was an opportunity to be more like the kid she never managed to be.

Now, better look left and right before and while crossing the road...

"Hey, Weiss, wait up!"

Oh yeah, better not forget Jaune!

"Whoa! No need to drag me along!"

"You will play games with me, and that is an order, Jaune Arc," Weiss commanded. "Also, please keep us updated on the money."

"You got it, Madam," Jaune replied, doing an exaggerated bow. "Would you like some recommendations, then?"

Weiss had already decided on her first game to play when he asked.

"Considering the less prominent reputation that our identities hold, along with your lack of enthusiasm towards the life of a Hunter, I believe we can enjoy...some dancing."

It wasn't some fancy ballroom dancing game, though. It was "Dusty Dancer Revolt," and the thought of dancing wildly had become more appealing to the former heiress who was feeling pretty rebellious lately.

Weiss looked at Jaune to see what he thought, and then she saw a very surprising expression.

She had never seen him look so smug before, alright.

"Are you seriously challenging me to a dance-off there?" he asked. "With _those_?"

Noticing him looking downward, she followed his eyes.

Weiss was wearing platform heels.

Said platform heels were not footwear with ascertained dance-safe quality, as she had not planned for situations with more intensity than standing, walking, and, to a certain degree, running.

She looked up again, and it seemed like Jaune's face grew more conceited while she was looking down.

Indeed, Weiss wanted to punch him, but that would be admitting her loss. Going out to buy heels for dancing would be admitting her loss, too, but still...

"Give me your wallet," she said, swiping said wallet out of Jaune's pocket while stepping hard on one of his sneaker-covered feet. "I'm going to buy some proper dancing equipment."

"But you better not waste money~" he replied, still having that irritatingly bigheaded tone in his voice. "I'll make sure to give you a handicap later, though, so don't worry~"

Weiss growled at that, and she gave his wallet back.

Does he really think that he can beat someone so experienced in the ways of dancing? To be fair, her dancing experience mostly involved ballroom dancing and such, but still, dancing experience is dancing experience.

Indeed, Weiss did not plan on losing, especially to someone who sounded like they were stupidly compensating for their weakness.

Surely, she could defeat him with her untested heels, and Jaune definitely sucked at dancing...right?

* * *

On that day, the only game that Weiss and Jaune played at the arcade was Dusty Dancer Revolt.

"So, would you like some dancing lessons from me, Your Frozen Majesty?" the bigheaded idiot dared to ask.

"Grr..."

The former heiress really wanted to punch him, but that would be embarrassing herself further. And in hindsight, she should have just played Whack-A-Grimm or that shooter game! He would have complained, but at least she'd prove her awesomeness!

Still, what was the point of trying to prove her awesomeness in such things when no one was around to genuinely praise her?

With those thoughts, Weiss groaned again, putting her face on the table in front of her seat in the diner.

With how often she had been experiencing blows to her pride lately, perhaps she should start expecting more humbling moments in the future. Still, that was a painful thought...

"I ordered some meat with your salad, Weiss!" he declared. "Better get those muscles strong if you wanna dance better!"

And she groaned again...and she groaned a very long groan.

"I brought this upon myself, and there is absolutely no turning back now..." she also said, face still on the table.

"Well, that may be the case," the unbelievable blonde dancer replied, "But hey, I guess that's enough smug from me for now."

"Yay..." she deadpanned, somewhat expecting some more shots at her pride.

"Okay, so...would you like some ice cream with your meal, Weiss?"

"Frozen yogurt for dessert, please," she requested, raising a pointer finger up. "Blueberry frozen yogurt."

"Alright, I'll have that added to your dinner order, then."

"Thanks," she responded, raising her head enough to show eye contact and a small smile.

"No problem," Jaune answered, that friendly smile on his face again, which caused Weiss to breathe a sigh of relief at the certain end of smugness.

They spent their waiting time for their dinner in silence, relaxing after all that crazy interaction they had back at the arcade.

Oh, and speaking of their time at the arcade, they ended up becoming a humorous sight to the a lot of the people there during that time. It was an embarrassing time to Weiss, and it caused her to stomp out of the arcade. Despite Weiss's wounded pride desperately trying to keep itself together, her begging stomach convinced her to go to a diner with Jaune and put up with his increased smugness.

And when Weiss had dinner, she considered her day a very refreshing one.

* * *

While they were on their way back to the hotel where they were staying, the wandering duo ran into some trouble.

"Uh, Weiss...looks like something shady's going on there..."

They saw some suspicious figures in suits inside of a shop called "From Dust Till Dawn." One of them stood out, too.

"Roman Torchwick..." Weiss recalled. "What's he doing here? I thought he specialized in fancy and high-value heists?"

"I think the more important question is 'What should we do about this?'" Jaune replied. "Do we call the police?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea, considering who we're dealing with."

"Then what do we do now?"

Weiss eyed the situation up ahead. She understood Jaune's concern, but it wasn't like she was above stopping crimes she could stop while they were happening right in front of her.

Suddenly, she remembered about her multi-action Dust rapier, Myrtenaster, being one of the things she didn't bring with her in her travels as a wandering singer.

"Tch..."

Even though she still had her Aura and the hereditary Schnee Glyph Semblance that came with it, Weiss did not like the chances she and Jaune had against Torchwick and his goons. Jaune may have his Aura unlocked, but he lacked combat training, and the two of them would have a chance if there were someone with enough equipment and training nearby.

Still, Weiss did not like letting crime go on and happen.

"I hate to say this, Weiss," said her blonde companion, "But unless you have better ideas, I think we should run away and call the police."

The former heiress grumbled, but the option he offered was probably the -

"AGH!"

Attention was drawn to the front of the shop, which now had a shattered display window.

Lying right in front of that window was a black-suited goon in pain, and jumping out through the shattered window was a girl in red and black combat dress with a hood and a cape.

Also, that girl held a large scythe in her hands, a scythe that was also...a gun? Hm, considering the common weapons of the people of Remnant, it most likely had a gun. And anyway...

"I think I've found some better ideas now," Weiss declared, giving her blonde a companion a smile.

At that, Jaune sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"So, what's the plan, then, Ice Queen?" he asked. "I'm gonna be the meat-shield?"

Well, considering their abilities...

"In a sense," Weiss answered, maintaining her smile even when he groaned.

"I should not have joked about that..." Jaune muttered, and then he went back to a louder volume with another sigh. "Alright..."

"Hold on," Weiss interrupted, reaching out to the spot where Jaune stood with her left hand. "I'll give you a boost, and then you go charge forward."

She formed a white and yellow glowing circle with a clock design, causing Jaune to glow along with it.

The blonde guitarist started grinning as the time dilation glyph worked its effects into him, too.

"You got it, Your Frozen Majesty," he said with a wink at Weiss, who rolled her eyes. "Whoo!"

Jaune rushed into the fray, past a bunch of goons who were knocked down by the girl with the scythe-gun hybrid, and straight into a cane-pointing Torchwick.

Said cane had launched some sort of fireball up above and ahead, whistling in the air.

Weiss caught herself staring, and she shook her head to regain focus.

Now, the wandering singer ran to help Jaune and the girl in red and black. The two whom Weiss followed were now fighting against a disarmed Torchwick, his weapon currently by the former heiress's feet.

Considering it a better course of action, Weiss took the weapon without question. Then, she jumped upward and away via platform glyphs, avoiding the chasing owner.

Torchwick's concentration on her managed to backfire on him, though, leaving him open to attacks from the girl in red and black.

The former heiress then reached a rooftop, Torchwick's weapon in her hands. She also considered herself lucky, as it seemed like that flaming bullet that Jaune threw off-course was the cause of an explosion in the distance beside her.

That luck was short-lived, though, as Torchwick managed to climb up to the rooftop where Weiss was.

"Don't consider yourself lucky just because you have my weapon, Schnee," the thief told her with a threatening tone.

"I'm not a Schnee," Weiss immediately countered, pointing the open base of the cane-gun at its owner. _"I'm a dishinherited Schnee, though,"_ she didn't mention. "I'm just a wandering singer."

"Well, how is a random wandering singer capable of using a Schnee-exclusive Semblance, then?" he asked back. "Are you a bastard kid?"

The former heiress had to exert some effort for the sake of not stooping down to the thief's level, especially considering how temperamental she had been recently. She managed to stay silent, yes, but she still felt some rage at Torchwick's suggestion, along with rage at herself for revealing a part of her identity that she didn't want to reveal to the public, let alone criminals.

"Eh, answer however you want, then, Schnee," Torchwick continued, still approaching Weiss. "I have some business I need to finish, and I'll need my weapon for that. No refusals allowed!"

Quickly, Weiss formed a line of motion glyphs to hasten her escape from the charging thief. She had already revealed her Semblance to him, which was why she saw no need to hide it any longer.

But before she tried to create some platform glyphs for her escape, Weiss ended up becoming distracted by the sudden appearance of a Bullhead.

"Well, there's my ride!" the thief shouted over the winds and noise that the Bullhead caused. "You better not delay it!"

With the help of her glyphs, Weiss narrowly dodged a grabbing attempt from Torchwick, buying time for the approaching help.

"Weiss!" Jaune shouted, not empowered by the time dilation glyph anymore. "We got help!"

The former heiress was puzzled by that, up until she saw an immobilized and levitating Roman Torchwick being moved by a bespectacled and caped woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and a riding crop.

Said woman was not unknown to Weiss.

"Professor Glynda Goodwitch..." the former heiress breathed with relief and awe.

The Bullhead that had suddenly appeared did a sudden turn as well, closing a door that it had opened while flying away.

When Weiss looked back at the other people on the rooftop, the first thing she noticed was Torchwick's upward gaze, followed by his subtly twitching facial muscles.

"You're a Huntress...Can I have your autograph?"

The next things that Weiss noticed were the words of an awestruck girl in red and black. The girl seemed to be the youngest among the people on the rooftop, judging from what Weiss could gather from her appearance and behavior. That made the girl's combat skill a curious feature, though.

"We have more important things to deal with," Professor Goodwitch declared, moving Torchwick along and pulling the thief's weapon out of Weiss's hands while walking past a disappointed scythe-gun wielder. "You three," she added, eyeing the three youths, "Come with me as well."

Weiss obeyed the order without question, giving serious glances to her fellow youths while she passed them by.

* * *

"I hope you three realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly."

"We understand, Professor Goodwitch," Weiss responded, sitting straight on her seat. "Our actions put ourselves and others in grave danger, after all."

"But - "

A warning look from Weiss silenced the girl named Ruby Rose, who also seemed to be affected by the other person beside the former heiress.

"And I thought you'd help me here too..." Ruby muttered, referring to Jaune, who had reinforced the silencing of Ruby's interruption. Weiss found that odd for a moment, but she quickly remembered her blonde companion's views on Hunters.

And yes, the wandering singer was honestly glad about being of help in getting Roman Torchwick behind bars, but the collateral damage, even though it was just property damage, was something that helped her understand Jaune's lack of interest in becoming a Hunter.

Good thing Beacon Academy pledged to pay for that, or else Weiss would be having a hard time reining her anger in while thinking about forking over a chunk of her and Jaune's limited money...

"If I had my way, I'd let all of you go with pats on your backs..."

Wait for it...

"And slaps on your wrists!"

Professor Goodwitch slapped the tabletop with her riding crop, sending Ruby and Jaune jumping. Weiss was mostly calm, having expected that from Beacon's Deputy Headmistress.

"But..." the Professor continued, "There is someone here who would like to meet all three of you."

The former heiress raised an eyebrow at that, wondering about the person who wanted to meet them.

That person stepped into the room, carrying a plate of cookies in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.

Weiss quickly recognized the bespectacled and white-haired man in green, as he held more prominence than his deputy.

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, and Weiss Schnee," he called.

"Headmaster Ozpin," Weiss responded, not bothering to correct the man regarding her status as a former heiress. "What do you need from us?"

Why would the most powerful member of an Beacon Academy's administration visit them personally?

"Straight to the point, I see," the Headmaster replied, putting down the plate of cookies, cookies which Ruby wolfed down. "I have some questions that I would like you to answer."

"If you want us to go study in your Academy, then you're out of luck," Jaune preempted. "I'm not interested, Weiss isn't interested, and getting Ruby - who's fifteen and studying in Signal Academy, if I remember our recent conversation correctly - into your Academy this early...Well, that's a stupid idea."

"Mmph-mmph!" Ruby said through a pile of cookies in her mouth. She chewed them and swallowed them down, and then she tried talking again. "But I wanna be a Huntress!" she declared. "What's wrong with getting into Beacon early?"

One of Jaune's eyes twitched, and he gave the fifteen-year-old a stern look.

"What's good about leaving friends your age so suddenly, then?" the blonde asked back. "Sure, feel free to work your way towards becoming a Huntress, 'cause Hunters are necessary here in Remnant, but don't ever think that going fast is always the best way."

Ruby was unable to counter that, and the excitement she had on her face faded away, turning into a downcast expression.

To be honest, Weiss wasn't comfortable with the little red reaper's sad face, but she also agreed with Jaune. Ozpin's credibility had begun to become questionable to Weiss ever since the blonde guitarist expressed his thoughts on the Beacon Headmaster's request...but was that what the Headmaster was going to ask? Jaune didn't let the man finish talking back there, after all.

And so, Weiss looked at Ozpin, waiting for the silent Headmaster to give his response. The man eyed them with an almost emotionless expression, one that had an almost unnoticeable downward pull showing through his lips.

"You are free to do what you wish, then," he said after seconds of silence, confirming Weiss's suspicions. "I apologize for wasting your time."

With that, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy turned around and left the room.

"You better be," Weiss heard Jaune mutter, which got him a glare from Beacon's Deputy Headmistress. He wasn't very fazed by it, though. "Can we go on with our lives now?" he asked out loud.

The blonde woman stayed silent with her glare for some more seconds, and then she spoke with a resigned tone in her voice.

"Very well," she said, and then to Ruby: "Now, is there someone who will come to pick you up, Miss Rose?"

That question seemed to have snapped Ruby out of some deep thinking, considering the younger girl's surprise when Professor Goodwitch called her name.

"Uh, yeah," she answered. "Yang, my older sister. She's somewhere in Vale right now, and I'll be calling her. Thanks for the concern."

"Well, I guess we should go back to the hotel, then, Weiss," Jaune said, standing up.

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

Ruby, now standing up as well, had an open hand that was aimed at Jaune. Upon realizing the recognition, she lowered her head and softened her voice.

"Before you go...I'd like to say sorry," the little red reaper said. "I wasn't thinking back there...You know, about getting into Beacon early."

The blonde guitarist gave Ruby that friendly smile Weiss had seen before.

"Apology accepted," he said. "And I think you'll become a great Huntress someday, Ruby."

"Really?" Ruby wondered, her expression brightening at Jaune's words.

"I'm pretty sure...as long as you don't rush it, of course."

"You got it, Jaune!" she declared with a salute. Then, her posture lost straightness, and she started fidgeting with her index fingers. "Oh, and uh...can we exchange, uh...scroll numbers?"

Weiss smiled at that exchange. She also stood up, and she called to the other two youths as she went past Professor Goodwitch.

"Go start your relationship outside the interrogation room, you two," the former heiress teased, glancing at them with a grin.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-WHAT!?" was what Ruby sputtered while her face went red with embarrassment.

"Really, Weiss?" asked Jaune, who looked more pitying than embarrassed. "Is that the best you can do?"

At that reaction from Jaune, Weiss looked at Ruby.

Then, the wandering singer left the room with a laugh, finding hilarity in the pout the little red reaper was giving to the blonde guitarist's back.

* * *

"So, have you started scroll correspondence with your new girlfriend?"

"Again, Weiss, I don't have feelings like that for Ruby. She's like a younger sister to me, and that's all there is to it."

As she had noticed the consistency of Jaune's annoyed responses, Weiss decided to stop the teasing at that.

"Alright, then," the wandering singer complied, moving to lie on her bed. "Now...I'd like to ask...I thought you didn't like Hunters?"

"Yeah, I don't like Hunters," Jaune answered while he took a spot for sleeping on the floor again. "But it's not like I don't want them to change, if that's what you're wondering about."

"So that's why..."

"Yeah, that's why I called Ozpin out. Guy's definitely desperate if he decided to personally visit a fifteen-year-old...Like, why else would someone like him do something like that? I wouldn't believe him if he told me that it would be for the greater good. Really, people like him make me sick..."

Weiss felt concern when she saw Jaune's face twist into a scowl. It made her wonder about who and what led her blonde companion to have such cynicism toward Hunters.

Honestly, she was curious, but she didn't want to be rude, too. So, Weiss waited for a possible continuation in silence.

They shared silence for what felt like a long while, and then...

"I'm gonna sleep now, Weiss. Good night."

She didn't press him about it after he said that. The day had been more tiring than relaxing, they needed rest for them to do well in the coming days, and trying to know such personal information so early in their travels together was like what Ruby would have done if Jaune wasn't there to stop her from accepting Ozpin's offer.

"Good night to you as well, Jaune," the former heiress said instead.

And with that, Weiss closed her eyes, pushing her curiosity away.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think I'm beginning to have a weekly update schedule for this fanfic, which feels like a tougher but much more structured working pace. It's better than a messy schedule, alright, and I think it's also getting me into planning future chapters more carefully. As for what change happened in my chapter planning methods, I'm going from "Eh, get distracted and write and edit and update at random" to "Okay, better write a complete draft of the chapter that follows the chapter that I'll be editing and uploading next." Also, I apologize if you got confused by my description of that method change.

Oh, and as for the story, getting an ingrained stick out of a person's ass is a very difficult procedure, so yeah, emotional roller coasters with Wandering Weiss and company, yo. Also, if you think that I have forgotten or am unaware of Neo, then don't worry so much, 'cause she'll be showing up in future chapters. I won't be talking about my plans for the next chapters further here, 'cause that would be boring. So yeah, now, I ask again:

Honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	4. Ante Up

"I hope you're ready to kick up your pace, pitch, and power, Ice Queen."

"As I find the survival of my throat after that torturous week a miracle, I expect a sore throat and a Bullhead ride after this upcoming performance, Vomit Boy."

Not like the previous week's rehearsals were dominated by physical torture, though. Weiss had impressive vocal control, which was something she had honed during her years with the Schnees.

Belting out on the streets of Vale, though...Now that was really embarrassing.

Oh sure, she got praise from their audience of pedestrians, but hearing herself singing like a madwoman with Schnee-trained vocal control was a very disorienting experience that made her consider her continued singing a miraculous occurrence.

Hm, maybe her meals back with the Schnees were laced with Dust...?

"Ugh, I'm starting to think like a madwoman now..." the wandering singer grumbled while holding the bridge of her nose. "Or maybe I was already a madwoman? Ugh..."

"Latter's pretty more likely, if you ask me," the Arc commented. "Also, motion sickness is more common than what most people think."

Speaking of that, Weiss couldn't decide on a nickname more humiliating than "Vomit Boy." She had her dependence (but not _that_ sort of dependence!) on Jaune to consider, and calling him "Dancer Brain" would humiliate her more than him because it would sound more like a nickname that praised his actually impressive dancing skills.

Really, Weiss was having mixed feelings. Schnee pride would dictate that soft spots like that were not soft spots that Schnees should have, but the wanderer within her considered it progress towards more worthwhile things.

Sure, she expected that she wouldn't be easily recognized as a Schnee anymore, but doing such things still grated on her nerves!

Though...maybe the benefits of making an actual friend would outweigh the burden of living life like a typical Schnee...

 _"Ugh, it still hurts to think about turning my back on my family like that..."_ she thought. _"Even if this life is starting to seem more fun as the days pass..."_

If her Schnee pride weren't there to stop her, she would have unleashed more power during the past week's rehearsals.

"Welp, better not keep Junior and his patrons waiting, Weiss," Jaune called.

"Alright, then," Weiss answered.

And while the duo went up to the recently repaired nightclub's stage, Weiss gave some unvoiced words of thanks to the family she had left behind, along with keeping a reminder about writing a letter to Winter later.

* * *

In their upcoming session, Weiss went along with a rockband setup despite the surprising difficulty. Regarding her reasons for doing so, she was feeling rebellious enough, she didn't want to waste a good opportunity for money, and she wasn't planning on being a mediocre singer.

Now, instead of his acoustic guitar, Jaune was using a red-white electric guitar, one that was loaned to him by Junior. The nightclub and its patrons were more inclined towards wild and high-energy music, Junior wanted to get energy back into his recently repaired nightclub, and Jaune didn't mind the amplification very much.

Meanwhile, Weiss was feeling very thankful for the earplugs. She agreed to sing with more heightened pace, pitch, and power, but she didn't agree to have her eardrums damaged while she sang.

Weiss and Jaune weren't the only ones performing onstage, though. With them was a man with a black-and-white bass, red shades, and a black suit (who looked like one of those men who accompanied Torchwick a week ago, but Weiss had decided not to ask for the sake of convenience). Also with them was a man with a strangely small but really high-tech drum set, a goofy and black mascot bear head, and a black suit that was identical to the bassist's suit (which also made Weiss notice the black suits and red shades of the guards, but again, she had decided not to ask for the sake of convenience).

Such a setup was something that Weiss was going to be having as an accompaniment for the first time. Before this performance, Weiss also practiced on the streets of Vale with instrumental audio files that Jaune blared through his scroll's speaker, which she and Jaune did for the sake of increasing her confidence in singing rock in front of an audience. Although she felt some confidence after surviving that embarrassing time, experience made her remember that the rehearsal sessions and the actual performance still made for different experiences.

Among the noticeable differences were the bassist and the drummer. Although she had practice with them before, Weiss had some doubt about whether they would be in sync with her and Jaune or not. Again, her blonde companion reminded her to trust him while he led the other instrumentalists. She easily put her trust in him, considering their differing amounts of experience. There was also his leadership, which she had observed during the rehearsals.

Really, it was impressive enough to get her Schnee pride stung. Putting up with their oafish bandmates was easier with him being able to deal with their coarse sense of humor, and the relief that resulted from that was enough for her to ignore to sting that her Schnee pride felt.

And so, Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath again, letting memories of tunes and lyrics flow to the front of her mind. She also did a mic check by tapping her fingers and having Jaune speak to it while he and their temporary bandmates did some final checks on their equipment.

"Hi, I'm Jaune, and if you're hearing this loud and clear, you'll realize that our dear singer here's an Ice Queen."

The former heiress flicked her companion guitarist's forehead after that mic check. He just grinned back at her for that, but Weiss didn't take that response with much seriousness, focusing on being ready for the performance instead.

Soon, Jaune did a riff, and the drummer started his beats. The bassist began accompanying Jaune as he repeated his riff for the third time, and when the fourth riff completed its cycle...

Weiss shouted the first line of lyrics out.

The crowd in the nightclub roared with cheers in response, and the wandering singer welcomed it a little more compared to when she rehearsed such singing.

Honestly, the song she was singing was something she considered a guilty pleasure. She was feeling both fun and discomfort at the control and the rebellion that were flowing through her voice, and despite the difficulty, she kept on singing.

Also, Weiss went with her instincts and let out a long and loud scream when Jaune did his guitar solo.

Luckily, the former heiress managed to finish the first song with some impressive singing, considering the audience's reception.

Then, when it came to the next songs, Weiss exercised more control on her vocals. She didn't like failing, after all.

But at some point, she got carried away and screamed too hard.

By the time she noticed that, though, the song when that happened had ended, and judging from the applause that she heard, her bandmates' sounds had covered the sound of her embarrassingly breaking voice.

When she turned to give him a worried look, Jaune mouthed "Leave the rest to us" at her.

With that, Weiss pulled her composure back together, and she quietly exited the stage, which now had Jaune doing vocals.

The former heiress then spent the rest of the performance listening to Jaune's impressive voice...though she also felt the desire to give him some pointers on singing sometime.

Still, she watched with a smile as her bandmates and the audience displayed their energy.

* * *

"Good work there today, Weiss."

She gave a small smile at Jaune and his praise. Not like she disliked it, but remembering her voice gone hoarse was still embarrassing to her, even though their employer noticed and showed understanding.

"I guess I owe you a Bullhead ride, then?" Jaune continued with a smile.

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that question.

"Well, I never did promise something like that," he replied with an upward look, "But wouldn't that be fair after all the tough stuff I put you through tonight and during the past week?"

"You...you don't need to do that..." the wandering singer with a really softened voice, eyes on her companion guitarist. "Too painful..."

Unsaid was her enjoyment of that performance. Perhaps Jaune had noticed that already through her recent performance, and she didn't mind if he did notice. It would probably raise his opinion of her, considering what she knew about him.

"Well, like it or not," he said, "We're gonna go on a Bullhead ride a few days from now...ugh..."

"Buy medicine, then..." Weiss reminded with a grin. "One piece, at least...and get me some medicine for my sore throat if you can..."

"Alright, then," he agreed with that friendly smile. "Thanks, Weiss."

"You're welcome, Jaune...and thanks, too..."

"No problem, Weiss."

They didn't say much as they went back to the hotel where they were staying, with their tiredness after that harder performance making their bodies beg for rest a lot more.

* * *

"So, we got our morning rituals plus a morning walk of waiting done now...Which bookstore do we go to, then?"

The morning after their latest performance, Weiss and Jaune went out to buy some novels for their spare time. Their morning walk of waiting for the opening of shops wasn't a long one, too, as they slept late into the night and, as a result, woke up late into the morning.

"The nearest one, which is...Tukson's Book Trade."

And speaking of bookstores, Vale's bookstores seemed to have a very strong presence. That was something that Atlas was slipping on lately, what with her native Kingdom's increased dependence on electronics.

"Now that I think about it," Weiss spoke out, voice still softened, "Bookstores can make you feel like a place is really peaceful, no?"

"Yeah," Jaune replied as he opened the bookstore's door for Weiss, who smiled at him for that act. "There's something about printed material that's really relaxing."

"The print materials' smell and texture, perhaps?"

"Hm...maybe it's the lack of brain-melting waves."

"Well...maybe you have a point there."

"I'm glad you think s - Whoa!"

"Ah! Whoa! Sorry!"

The sudden bump-in happened pretty fast there, with the only things she managed to see being a female figure in black and white, a flying stack of papers that got caught by said figure, who took a deep breath and swiftly fled afterwards, and an opened book...a book which was on Jaune's face.

When Weiss took the book, which was titled "Ninjas of Love," off Jaune's face, she saw him having widened eyes, blushing cheeks, and a disturbing smile.

"I do not see good things in that face, Vomit Boy," she said while crossing her arms.

Suddenly, Jaune whistled, and if that didn't confirm Weiss's suspicions...

"That book didn't totally cover my eyes," he said, looking up at the sky, "And I got a quick but nice view..."

And then he looked at the book that Weiss was holding.

"Also, I wonder if we can bond over smut?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that, and when her mind processed what he just said, her widening eyes shot towards the open book in her hands.

The former heiress immediately blushed and shut the book upon reading its contents.

"Keep this... _filth_ ," she hoarsely spat with a horrified look, "Away from me, Arc."

"But aren't you curious, Wandering Weiss?" the Arc asked with a wide grin and waggling eyebrows.

She stomped on Jaune's foot hard, and she stepped into the bookstore, trying to avoid further aggravation of her damn teenage hormones.

Yes, such was one disadvantage of not being Schnee heiress anymore. Not a lot of worthwhile restrictions coming from the people around her, alright...

"You can call me for it if you ever feel lonely, Ice Queen!"

"Shut up!" she tried to shout, causing her to put a hand to her throat in pain.

"Whoa, I don't think you should be..."

Weiss had shot a glare at the large man, wordlessly giving him a warning about his next words for a bunch of seconds.

Then...

"What?" she spoke after those wordless seconds.

The large man, who looked like he was really trying to be careful with his maintained eye contact and slow head movement, kept his mouth open while having no words come out of it for another bunch of seconds.

Eventually...

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun?" he said, eyes, neck, and mouth still being stretched by tension and uncertainty.

"You have a very _original_ tagline," Weiss sarcastically remarked, arms crossed again. "Now, don't bother me while I look through your wares."

And she turned around, ready to shoot another glare if he ever considered talking again to be a good idea.

Also, she struggled as she ignored that disgustingly grinning Arc's stupid dancing. It would have been impressive if he wasn't showing that filth off, indeed.

And so, Weiss tried to look for some more worthwhile reading material to be bought and stored into her suitcase...which was in the hotel where they were staying.

 _"What I shall buy shall stay in my hands only..."_ she kept in mind. _"And aside from my suitcase, it shall go nowhere else!"_

There was a problem, though, and it was her uncertainty about what sort of books she was supposed to look for. All that trouble with that filth had her mind messed up, and now, Weiss grudgingly admitted her need for assistance...but how should she do it without embarrassing herself?

"Don't mind my friend," that Arc suddenly declared as he skipped into the store. "She's a prude, see," he added with flamboyant pointing.

Weiss gave the Arc a glare, hoping that it would burn his face off.

The large man behind the counter did an awkward laugh, facial muscles still stretched with nervousness. Weiss silently praised that man for being smarter than the blonde fool between them.

"If you're looking for some, um...worthwhile and...non-erotic material..." the smarter man said with lots of care, "Feel free to look...over there..."

And so, the wandering singer gave a kind smile to the smarter man.

"Thank you very much," she said. "And your name is...?"

"Tukson...Ma'am."

"Thank you very much, then, Mr. Tukson. Meanwhile, please don't mind my friend. He's an idiotic piece of filth."

And Weiss skipped towards a shelf of books...but before that, she stomped Jaune's foot and snatched his wallet from him again.

"You know, I think you're actually secretly kin - OW! Okay...shutting up now..."

Weiss's purchases on that day only came from Tukson's Book Trade, and said purchases were composed of some high fantasy novels. Tukson's tagline was still unoriginal to her, but the former heiress's opinion of him went up somewhat after spending the day while enjoying one of the books she bought from his store.

Meanwhile, Jaune had enough smarts to not hold that piece of filth in front of her, and he was rewarded with some friendly behavior from Weiss.

Yes, the rest of their day was pretty peaceful...

* * *

Sometime during the evening, in the middle of trying to sleep, Weiss and Jaune heard knocking on their hotel room's door.

"Coming!" Jaune signaled back, standing up to answer the door.

Weiss couldn't help feeling some paranoia, though, considering the time and her past experiences. Locked doors didn't necessarily mean safety in the face of assassins and other cunning criminals, after all.

So, she stood up and, from behind Jaune, took a peek at their visitor.

"Hi..." awkwardly greeted the visitor, who had black hair, amber eyes, and a black-and-white outfit with a noticeable bow on her head.

"Well, I can't believe that we meet again," Jaune replied, his flirtatious tone earning a roll of the eyes from Weiss. "Were you looking for your book?"

"Yeah..." the visitor answered, awkwardly laughing while blushing. "How embarrassing...Sorry..."

Weiss facepalmed and groaned upon realizing what they were talking about. With that, she decided to turn around and get back on her bed, leaving the blonde fool and his crush to whatever relations they wanted to engage in as long as it didn't involve doing very inappropriate things in the room.

"Oh, don't worry!" the blonde fool said with a waving hand, ignoring Weiss's expression of annoyance. "I like it, actually!"

"Really?" the raven-haired girl responded with a brightened voice that lasted for a few seconds. "I hope you're not trying to get into my pants with that, though..."

"Well, that would be too fast, then! How about we form a friendship first, Ms. Pretty?"

"Now that's definitely not asking for a date..." the visitor girl deadpanned with a wry smile, earning sympathy from Weiss as well, and then... "Hold on...is she your girlfriend?"

At that, Jaune was knocked away from his spot, with Weiss standing there instead.

"No, I am not," the wandering girl answered, formal "We of the Schnee Dust Company have a perfectly reasonable explanation" tone doing its best in taking over her softened voice. "We are wandering musicians with no romantic relationship whatsoever, and we are merely sharing a hotel room for the sake of thrift. As for where each of us sleeps, I sleep on the bed, while he sleeps on the floor."

The surprised visitor girl took a while of silence, and then she nodded and replied.

"Okay..." she said, "Makes sense..."

"I hope it does." Then, Weiss showed a frown, pointing a thumb behind her. "Now, go get your...material...back. The sooner it is far and out of my senses, the better."

At that, the visitor girl frowned back at Weiss. Then, the raven-haired girl passed her by, muttering about the wandering singer being a prude and something else that Weiss didn't fully catch but still sounded really irritating. The filth owner didn't go far into the room, though, as Jaune was right behind Weiss.

"Here's your book, Ms. Pretty," said the blonde idiot with a stupid smile as he handed the filth over.

"It's Blake," the filth owner replied. "And you really wrote your scroll number down, huh?"

"Well, I decided to be a bit more proactive in terms of having a female friend who isn't prudish."

The blonde idiot earned a book to the head because of that.

Unfortunately, the filth owner found that hilarious, and not in the way Weiss wanted.

"You're interesting...I'll text you sometime, then."

With that, the filth owner named Blake left, but not without sending a wink to Jaune and a smirk to Weiss.

Before the former heiress could try throwing a book at that irritating filth owner, though, the door was shut, leaving the wandering musician duo in their mostly dark room.

They shared silence for a while, and when the blonde idiot tried to talk...

"Not a word," Weiss told with a pointer finger at her idiotically grinning blonde companion. "One word, and you get another book to the head."

And so, Weiss went back to lie on her bed, high fantasy novels -

"Thanks, Weiss!"

\- thrown at the idiot named Jaune Arc.

But before Weiss continued her attempts at sleeping, a question she had forgotten throughout that annoying conversation popped up in her mind.

"Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"How did she know about where we're staying?"

"Oh...now that's a pretty good question. And a pretty good first topic for my scroll correspondence with Blake! Whose number I don't know...okay, looks like I'll have t - "

Suddenly, a scroll rang.

"Well, no need for me to wait now, 'cause Blake sent me a message already!"

"Okay. Now let me have my sleep."

And fortunately, Jaune didn't disturb her sleep.

* * *

_Dear Winter,_

_How are you doing? Although it should be a given for a Schnee to be doing well all the time, I cannot help having some worry while hoping that you are doing well._

_Now, speaking of being a Schnee, it is something I miss now. I certainly do not like the bad sides of it, but living with it for years has made me feel like it is a natural part of my existence, so much that I foolishly bottled up my feelings and even punched my companion musician as I tried to deal with those feelings. With that, I am glad for your support in my endeavors despite my disinheritance._

_Also, how is the rest of the family taking my current status? I think that Father would probably attempt to have you run the SDC, and while I do have confidence in you when it comes to such a thing, I fear his attempts at keeping you under whatever conditions he wants you under. Still, I think that my lack of trust in you is foolish, so please forgive me, Winter._

_As for my journey as a wandering singer with Jaune Arc, it is quite an interesting one so far. My companion can be annoying, but I have seen his caring side in several instances, particularly in one when he spoke out against Beacon Headmaster Ozpin's offer to have a fifteen-year-old girl skip two years of combat preparatory school and enter Beacon Academy early. And speaking of that, I am worrying about Hunters more these days...Jaune has had bad history with them, including Headmaster Ozpin for some reason, and the Beacon Headmaster's actions makes me have more doubt regarding the integrity of Hunters and Hunter Academies nowadays. Forgive me for bothering you with my worries, but I felt like I had to tell you about them._

_Now, on the bright side, Jaune and I have been receiving good reception so far in terms of our work as wandering musicians. I go by a stage name, though: "Wandering Weiss." I wear no jewelry, I wear a plainer dress, I wear my hair differently, with my current hairstyle drawing inspiration from your hairstyle, too. I feel glad about doing those things along with my work. Sure, my work can be a challenge, especially with things like singing songs of genres I am not accustomed to (such as rock, which I had recently screamed with until my throat went hoarse), but they still bring me fun experiences._

_Jaune and I have also made a new friend: Ruby Rose, that fifteen-year-old whom Headmaster Ozpin offered early entry into Beacon. She studies at Signal Academy on the island of Patch, and as of this letter's writing, I will be going to that island with Jaune for a friendly visit. I am looking forward to it very much, indeed._

_Of course, I am looking forward to your reply as well._

_Your wandering younger sister,_

_Weiss_

_P.S. I decided to write with pen and paper because I find it more relaxing than sending a message via scroll._

* * *

**Author's Note:** The V4 trailer's up, and then there's this: the fourth chapter, with Weiss going rock. And speaking of rock, there's this joke that started in the Professor Arc Forum in FanFiction.net, which has Team RWBY being a rockband called "Magical Girl Zorro," with Blake playing bass, Yang playing drums, Ruby playing guitar, and Weiss doing vocals. Expect shenanigans there, yo.

Also, fourth weekly upload in a row! Yay! Oh, and I'd like to send special thanks to Inthretis. That peep gave me motivation, yo~ Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to his (her? or their? I have no idea, agh) crazy awesome Penny-centered fanfic called _The Fifth Maiden_. Spoilers exist there, so yeah, tread carefully.

And of course, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	5. Patchwork

As they went off to travel to Patch, Jaune managed to take some medicine. Still...

"Okay, now this is a weird experience," the blonde said.

"What's so weird about not being Vomit Boy in a Bullhead?" Weiss asked, for she had been expecting some loud whoops of joy from her companion.

"Occasionally, I've gone on Bullheads without wanting to throw up, most of them being times when I went to travel with my family," he answered, "But not being able to afford medicine for a long while plus being forgetful makes experiences like this even more foreign..." he added, hanging his head as he sighed.

Weiss was able to understand, especially when it came to the financial aspect. Sure, there were times when an employer was generous - like their recent one, who owed Jaune because of an inconvenience during his previous gig there - but still, the pay that they had been receiving so far was considerably less than what Weiss expected.

Indeed, it was another disorienting experience for the former heiress who once lived a life with lots of money within her reach. Still, Weiss wasn't going to back down.

Also, perhaps now would be a good time for some chatting.

"I haven't really asked you about your family before, Jaune," Weiss started. "So, I'd like to ask about them now, while we wait."

"My family, huh?" Jaune replied, looking out at a window, likely going deep in thought. "Well, there's Mom and Dad, and there's my seven sisters. I'm the fourth kid."

"Impressive," Weiss remarked, nodding with a smile. "I wonder, though...How are your Hunter family members are doing at present?"

At that, Jaune was strangely silent, and his eye seemed to twitch, too.

"Jaune?" she called, worry starting to grow.

"They're doing better," he then said, but he didn't look any better after he said that.

Not wanting to make it go downhill, Weiss decided to steer the conversation to a different direction.

"Can you tell me about their personalities, then?" she asked, putting on a smile for his sake.

Again, Jaune was silent, but this silence was shorter. He took a deep breath, and then he answered.

"They care about our family very much." He wore a smile that was mixed with sadness. "We don't agree on how we care for each other at times, but we're capable of getting along.

"Mom and Dad are badasses. They retired from Hunter work to care for our family, but it isn't like they can't and won't help in keeping the local community safe. They're respected by the majority, if not all, of the people in the town where we live.

"And then there's my three older Huntress sisters: Stella, Solea, and Reyn. Stella's the eldest, and she's really kind...maybe too kind for her own good, though, but still kind. Solea tends to be really quiet and aloof, even to the point of seeming unsociable, but she's smart and cares for our family very much. Reyn's really bubbly and lively, and you better be scared when you piss her off."

At that, he let out an awkward laugh, and he continued.

"All three of them are skilled Huntresses, and all three of them love our family very much.

"Then there's my younger sisters. There's the twins: Crescent and Chrome. Crescent's the older one, while Chrome's the younger one, and they love stories, art, and music, so much that they make works together and share it to our family and our community. Then there's Luna, who loves pranking, and she has a nice sense of restraint that she learned with the family's help. Finally, there's Flora, who we all dote on. She likes helping us very much, too."

After that, Jaune sighed, looking at the distance ahead.

Weiss had become more interested in knowing about his family, but she still couldn't take away the worry she had for him.

"What about you, Weiss?" he suddenly asked. "Your sister seems to be the only family member you actually care about, so...What's she like?"

That smile on his face still seemed forced, but rather than make it worse, Weiss decided to play along with the shift.

"She is strict," she answered, looking up, breathing deeply, and remembering Winter. "But I look up to her very much. She is a rebellious Schnee, and even though she is better than me, she is kind to me, and that led me towards wanting to be a better CEO than my father.

She is also a Huntress and a Specialist in the Atlesian Military, and she is well-respected there. You can say that I wanted to be like her, and with that, I wanted to become a Huntress too...until you came along."

Weiss then gave her blonde companion a look, which he responded to with a smirk.

"In the end, I managed to convince you," he said. "Maybe it's my Semblance, but I hadn't even unlocked my Aura back then..." And then he did an exaggerated gasp. "Maybe I already had my Aura unlocked, and you unlocked the second stage of it!"

The former heiress flicked his forehead, chuckling, while he laughed along.

"As if, you dolt," she said, grinning.

Then, she looked up again, and she went on with remembering her first conversation with him.

* * *

She had exited the dressing room, looking forward to returning to her family's mansion back in Atlas. The performance which was considered her last as a singer had ended, and things seemed to be going smoothly.

"Weiss Schnee."

The heiress turned around, facing someone standing near the door to the dressing room. How someone managed to stay that close to where she was had been something she was responsible for, as she felt uncomfortable with having guards around her during every second. And besides, she had her Aura and her Semblance if she needed to run and get help.

Running and calling for help would earn the ire of her father, though...and anyway...

"Who are you?" she asked, looking at a young man with blonde hair, a black hoodie, blue pants, red-white sneakers, and a light brown acoustic guitar.

He didn't look like anyone Weiss had known before, and it seemed like he was a man of the streets, one who was had enough smarts for sneaking past the security detail.

Also, his face was not that of an enthusiastic fan.

"Some wandering musician," he answered, walking towards her.

Weiss felt the desire to step back, along with some regret at not having that tighter security, but her desire to not cower dominated.

"What do you want, then?" she replied.

"Well, I only want you to hear me out," he answered, "And that's it."

The heiress didn't fully believe his claim, though. Still...

"On with it, then. I am tired, and I need to return to Atlas soon."

Then, there was silence. From how he was looking at her during that silence, he seemed to be sizing her up, which caused a frown and a sharper look from Weiss.

"Well?" she also said.

Then, with that serious expression on his face, he said:

"You know...I liked you and your singing...until I found out about you wanting to become a Huntress."

Weiss took a while to process that statement.

"Excuse me?"

"I said...I liked you and your singing...until I found out about you wanting to become a Huntress. Is that slow enough for you?"

Her first reaction to that was not a word.

He was knocked down to the ground, with him holding a hand on his probably bruised face.

"How dare you..." she seethed.

Still, he laughed, as if he was mocking her.

"Hunters don't understand the bigger picture," he said, not making eye contact with Weiss as he stood up and walked past her. "Helping others isn't just killing Grimm, arresting criminals, and wrecking things with sword-guns."

At that, Weiss didn't give a reply. She couldn't, actually, not with a point she found so difficult to refute. A part of her asked her to talk back and even give him another slap, but another part of her remembered the dreams she wanted to fulfill.

She wanted to be a better CEO than her father, to be a rebel against the Schnee Dust Company's foolish methods, to be as independent as her dear older sister.

Hunters had the ability to help society. They were a vital part of the world of Remnant, and she knew that.

Still, Weiss and Schnee pride didn't like doing things without perfection. What would be her fate if she became a full-fledged Huntress? People like that rude blonde would always be around, and maybe they were merely a vocal minority too. Still, they had minds of their own, no matter how many times she tried to ignore them. Living with her family had her learn that, after all.

Weiss shook her head, trying to shake off the heavy thoughts from her tired mind. She started walking towards her ride back to Atlas, looking forward to sleep.

She did manage to get home and get her sleep, but when she woke up during the next day, the thought of trying to become a Huntress had begun to give her cold feet. She tried to hide it as she went through her day, but it showed through blunders that caused her more anger.

Every stab and swing reminded her of the fact they won't ever bring back destroyed lives and homes.

Every disappointed piece of feedback she received made her feel like she had returned to square one even more.

And then there were the people who wanted to form bonds with her only because of her name and wealth, reminding her about how she looked like a distant figure on a pedestal to many.

All the while, that rude blonde's words haunted her as well.

With that, the next few days became a struggle to Weiss.

Eventually, she called Winter for help.

And now...

* * *

"Weiss, we're here."

"Huh?"

She realized that she had fallen asleep, maybe for less than half of an hour, considering how long the trip was supposed to take. The weight that she was feeling in her body reminded her about that too, and so, she stretched herself out.

Then, she paused mid-stretch, while her yawn finished, her eyes opened wide, and her attention on the possibility of people seeing her be so unrefined.

Some Schnee instincts were still there, indeed.

"If it makes you feel better, I'd say that you're looking cute."

A frown formed on Weiss's face. Spending the recent minutes remembering her first meeting with him plus having her long-desired sleep interrupted were probably major factors behind that.

"Eh, no surprise from me there," Jaune responded, shrugging as he turned around, moving to disembark while carrying their things.

Weiss didn't stand up and follow immediately, though. She looked back at her memories some more, wondering about whether the path she took would really be worth it.

Still, the former heiress knew that she had passed the point of no return, and that trying to go back would do more harm than good.

And so, she shook her head, moving herself forward again.

* * *

When the wandering duo exited the terminal, they were greeted by the noise of a quaint town.

"Huh, looks like something out of a fantasy novel," Jaune commented.

Weiss couldn't help nodding in agreement while she took in the sights.

Everyone around her seemed more cooperative in this small town, located in this small island covered with more nature than people. The Schnee in Weiss considered it backward, but it couldn't beat the former heiress's wonder at the scenery.

Yes, it all seemed like those paintings that were bought by a significant number of people from her former social class. Wooden buildings stood, blending in with nature easily, while neighbors interacted with closeness that was, ironically, less seen in more urban places. Baskets of produce and catch were carried and traded, and shoppers and traders seemed very relaxed while having them.

Really, seeing such sights more rarely than seeing the cold and sharp architecture and interior design of Atlesian buildings made them more of a wonder, too.

Weiss would have begun daydreaming a lot about living in such a place, but she held back, still having difficulty with letting her Schnee pride go.

The former heiress still kept on looking around, though, like at the Bullhead terminal where they landed was in a town located near the eastern coast of the island of Patch. That and a nearby port seemed to be the only two ways bridging Patch and the rest of Vale.

Also, they had to look around for Ruby.

"Jaune, where are we going to meet Ruby?" Weiss asked, eyes on him.

The two of them stopped walking, with Jaune taking his scroll out of his pocket and opening it.

"From what Ruby sent me...right about...there..."

Turning to look at where Jaune was looking, she gazed upon a two-storey inn, one where two girls were approaching them from.

"Jaune!" shouted the little red reaper, crashing into him with a smile and hug, which Jaune also gave in return.

"So this is the guy who my little sis has a crush on...though I didn't expect him to have a girlfriend..."

Weiss gave a deadpan look at a grinning girl with long blonde hair. The former heiress also felt like she was going to have a struggle with her, too, if her...casual clothing was anything to go by as well. More so if she's someone important to the little red reaper she was accompanying.

"We are not in such a relationship," Weiss stated, also holding herself back from adding anything else that the blonde girl could use against her.

"Whoa there, I'm just kidding, Ice Queen," the blonde girl replied, giving Weiss an energetic slap to the back.

And indeed, said slap was energetic enough to push Weiss forward and almost make her stumble.

Looks like the blonde girl will be a struggle, indeed.

"Yang!" Ruby called out, giving the blonde girl a disapproving look. "You're embarrassing me!"

"Oh come on, Ruby..." replied the girl named Yang. "What's wrong with some energy?"

"They don't look comfortable!"

"Really? Maybe that's just you being awkward you, right, guys?"

She then looked at the duo of wandering musicians...which had both members looking less than pleased.

"Uhhh...you okay there?" Yang asked, waving a hand in front of them.

Weiss groaned, while Jaune seemed to have an eye twitching.

"Yang," Ruby called, wearing a deadpan look.

"Yeah, Rubes?"

"I may be awkward, but I'm not _that_ awkward."

"Well, congratulations, then!" the blonde girl declared. "You're looking pretty _Rose_ -y now, alright! Get it? Eh? Eh?"

Putting aside the chatter of the town, silence was the only response that the blonde girl received for several seconds.

"That's Yang, alright...ahaha..." the little red reaper said with no trace of amusement, followed by turning around and waving her hand. "Okay, let's go."

Weiss didn't object to that, and so, she followed Ruby, with Jaune walking beside Weiss.

"Hey, wait up, you three!"

This time, Jaune was the one who groaned at Yang. He also did a furious ruffle on his hair while he quickened his pace.

Not wanting to be left behind with that blonde girl with a horrible sense of humor, Weiss also quickened her pace.

Ruby seemed to notice their attempts at getting away from Yang, too, and judging from her faster walking, she agreed with the duo of wandering musicians.

"Come on, don't leave me like this!"

Sooner than expected, though, was Ruby slowing down. Weiss slowed down along with her, but Jaune kept on walking with that quickened pace until he stopped and turned to look back, dropping the luggage in his hands with what seemed to be an irritated look at the trailing three.

"Whew! I thought you really were gonna abandon me back there..." Yang said, accompanying it with a laugh. "Okay, so, seriously, I'll tone it down," she added, making a serious face while raising a hand up. "Promise."

Ruby gave Yang a look, and seconds later, she let out a breath, wearing a small smile on her face.

"Alright, sis," the little red reaper said, and then she turned around to walk forward again. "No puns, though!" she added with a raised pointer finger.

At that, Yang sighed, but she moved forward as well, causing Weiss to walk along.

"The things I do for family..." the blonde girl said with a smile. "So, if you haven't noticed it yet," she added, glancing at Weiss, "I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister."

The wandering singer nodded, though now that she took in that piece of info, she noticed the stark difference in appearance between the sisters.

"I'm guessing that you're wondering why we look so different?" Yang asked, catching on to Weiss's look. "Well, I guess that's 'cause we're half-sisters. Different moms, same dad. Ruby went with her mom's last name, though. Me, I went with our dad's, which is Xiao-Long."

"Is that so..."

To be honest, Weiss was surprised by her observations on the half-sisters. They were doing better than what she expected from such siblings, considering how quickly Ruby forgave Yang back there.

"Hard to imagine sisters like us getting along, huh?" Yang suddenly said, causing Weiss to wonder about whether the blonde girl had a mind-reading Semblance or something. "We had to get along well, especially after Summer died. Summer's Ruby's mom, by the way."

"What happened? I mean...if it's okay to ask, that is."

"Well...she went out on a mission. Aside from being an awesome mom, she was an awesome Huntress too, and...she never came back from that mission. Dad didn't take it well, and my uncle had to take care of us while Dad recovered. As for me, I eventually became protective of Ruby."

With that, Weiss ended up looking down at the ground, feeling awkward because of raising such heavy topics.

"You know what, before we go downhill here, we should talk about your name," Yang said, stopping their walk temporarily. "So, what's your name?" she asked with a smile.

At that, Weiss took her frown away, and she wore a small smile.

"My name is Weiss," she answered.

"Weiss...?"

"Wandering Weiss," the former heiress immediately answered, and then she quickly noticed how that could go downhill fast.

"Is that a..."

"Stage name," Weiss cut in. "You can call me Weiss. As for my last name...I do not want to talk about it."

"Alright, then, Weiss," Yang replied, extending an open hand. "First name's enough."

"Thank you, Yang."

And the two did a handshake.

With that, they looked forward.

Up ahead was Ruby and Jaune, and they looked like they were having fun doing conversation together. The former was puffing her chest out, and after some seconds, the latter was letting out a laugh that could be heard from a distance.

"You know, I think I've met your partner before," the blonde girl mentioned. "I just can't remember exactly when and where..."

Now that reminded Weiss of her musician companion's unusual irritation a while ago.

"Maybe we should ask him later, then," the former heiress suggested.

"Alright," the blonde girl agreed. "Also, wanna catch up with the two of them now?"

"Sure."

The two trailing girls then quickened their walking, and eventually...

"Yo, how are you two lovebirds doing?" Yang shouted, causing the two in front to jump with surprise.

"Yang!" Ruby shouted back with a blush. "What did I tell you a while ago!?"

"Oops..." the older sister said, wearing an awkward grin while scratching the back of her head. "Sorry..."

"Your sister knows how to apologize," Jaune said, rolling his eyes. "How gladdening."

"Jaune!" Ruby called out.

"Hey, now that's rude, buddy," Yang told her fellow blonde, with her grin gaining some edge. "What's your problem, huh?"

The blonde musician gave his fellow blonde a glare and a frown, but no words for a bunch of seconds. Then...

"You don't remember?" he asked.

Yang raised an eyebrow at that.

"So I guess we've met before, then?" she asked back. "I can't remember exactly when and where, though, so tell me: When and where have we met before?"

Again, Jaune silently glared and frowned for another bunch of seconds before talking again.

"Junior's nightclub," he mentioned. "Around a month ago."

Yang didn't answer quick there, taking time to process that information. Eventually, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Oh...you're..."

"Yes," Jaune confirmed. "I'm that acoustic guitar player you gave a tip to after you wrecked the club. You know, the one you left with a broken guitar after trying to give him a beatdown!"

Now, he was breathing pretty hard, face red with anger. From the way his clenched fists trembled, it seemed that he was trying to hold back from unleashing further aggression upon Ruby's sister.

"We were talking about that a while ago, Yang," Ruby stated, arms crossed as she gave a disappointed look at her sister. "I think we should settle this here and now, spare Dad the trouble and all that. You know what happened when he found about what you did to that club, right?"

Yang grimaced at the mention of their father. Then, she sighed, hand on the back of her hanging head.

Eventually, Yang raised her face somewhat, enough to make eye contact with Jaune.

"Sorry..." she said, eyes going down to look at the ground again. "I'm really sorry..."

Meanwhile, Weiss noticed how tense her self was feeling at the interaction happening in front of her. The level of rage coming from Jaune was something she had never encountered before, and of course, the thought of losing friends so quickly was not a pleasing thought.

Then, the wandering singer looked at the blonde guitarist, who was now shaking less and breathing slower. He still had that frown and glare, but they had less edge now.

"Don't think you're getting off easy," he then said. "Come on, Ruby."

The younger sister gave her older sister a look, and then she went to follow Jaune, leaving a "Good luck, Yang" as well.

As for Yang, she sighed.

"Lectured by my own younger sister..." she said, bits of an awkward laugh coming out with that. "I'm really not being a good older sister, huh?"

Weiss, looking with concern, tried to think of something to say to cheer one of her newfound friends up.

Thankfully, many years of memories with her own older sister were there to help.

"I'm sure you can do better, Yang," the former heiress told the blonde girl. "Just keep on trying to do better."

"You sure about that, though?" Yang doubted.

"I myself have an older sister," Weiss answered, "And she has aggressiveness of her own, but she is still able to do things that make her a good older sister. That is why I believe that you can do better as an older sister and, ultimately, as a person."

The former heiress then remembered the warm smile Winter gave her during many points of her life.

Again, Weiss was thankful for her older sister.

"Maybe you have a point," the former heiress then heard the blonde girl say. "But for now, I guess I'll have to give them some space."

"Would you like someone to talk with, then?" Weiss offered with a smile.

At that, Yang sent a smile back.

"Sure, Weiss-cream."

But that nickname got Weiss frowning.

"What?" Yang responded. "Cold but sweet! Ice cream! Weiss! Weiss-cream! Puns! Come on..."

Hm...now that she thought about it, it sounded like some nice praise.

"I'll let that slide, then," the former heiress yielded, giving her new friend a smile.

And besides, it wasn't like that nickname would matter much to the Schnees now. They'd be angry if they ever found out about a Schnee agreeing to have such a nickname.

Indeed, "Weiss-cream" was beginning to sound like a nickname that would fit a rebel, alright.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Again, I'd like to say that I took inspiration from Coeur Al'Aran's "Winter is Coming" segment in _The Writer Games_. Also, welcome to the Patch Arc (no pun intended in that arc name). I've been working on the next parts of this arc, which are more challenging to me compared to the previous chapters. Now, with the increasing difficulty in writing chapters for this fanfic, I'm gonna have to be more serious with my time management as well.

Oh, and I've begun to introduce my headcanons about Jaune's family. I like other versions, like Coeur's, but I'd like to be more original, so there. Also, say hello to a more detailed depiction of that fateful first meeting with Jaune.

So yeah, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	6. Patching Up

Weiss and Yang were the last pair to arrive at the house. In there were Jaune and Ruby, who were sitting by a dining table, and a tall man whom Weiss assumed was Yang and Ruby's father,

"Yang, baby!"

"Oh, there you are! We've been waiting Xiao-Long!"

It was at that moment when Weiss understood where that habit of barely humorous attempts at wordplay descended from.

Meanwhile, Jaune slapped his palm into his face and groaned, while Ruby shook her head and sighed with resignation.

"And that's our dad," Ruby introduced. "He's awesome in other things, though, like cooking!"

"And to prove it," said the blonde hairedand somewhat darker-skinned man, "Here's my latest batch of cookies, Ruby!"

The little red reaper seemed to have made a blurry swipe at the plate of cookies, and when Weiss had noticed, Ruby was already chewing.

"Hm, it's better again, Dad!" Ruby praised. "A hug for you, then!"

"Aw, thanks, Ruby..." Mr. Xiao-Long replied, hugging his younger daughter back as well. "Oh, and I guess your new friends and I should be introducing ourselves to each other soon?"

Suddenly, there was a blur with rose petals trailing behind for a moment, and then Weiss felt herself hitting the ground.

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry, Weiss!"

"That's Ruby, alright," Yang quipped. She was probably smiling too, judging from the tone of her voice. "Here, lemme help you up."

Weiss took her new friend's hand without hesitation there.

"Thanks," the wandering singer said, dusting her white dress when she was standing again. "I am Weiss...Wandering Weiss," she introduced, doing a curtsy while mentally chiding herself for that near slip-up of her last name. "I work as a wandering singer with my musician companion there, Jaune Arc."

"Nice to meet you, then, Weiss," Mr. Xiao-Long replied. "I'm Taiyang Xiao-Long, Yang and Ruby's dad. I'm also a teacher at Signal Academy, which you probably passed by while on the way to this place."

Then, a sigh was heard from Jaune, who had pushed his seat away from the table as he stood up.

"I'm Jaune Arc," he introuduced, extending a hand out and wearing a smile for the sake of politeness. "Weiss's musician companion. I mainly play acoustic guitar, but I can also work with bands as long as the instruments aren't too many."

"That so, huh?" Mr. Xiao-Long responded, giving looks to the duo of wandering musicians. "Interesting. Nice to meet you, then."

Handshakes were made after that.

"I'm glad to know that my daughters have made new friends," the older man continued. "Especially one who made sure that my youngest didn't run too fast," he added, giving a look to Jaune.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, blushing while playing with her fingers. "Thanks, Jaune."

"Sorry to say this, but I'm not really approving of Hunters, Sir," Jaune replied, scratching the back of his head as he looked away with an awkward smile. "Not like Ruby can't be better than most Hunters, though. And really, I can't believe that Ozpin left us alone just like that...I think I should've been psychologically tortured or something in revenge, considering what I understood about his position, but he didn't."

"I'm pretty sure that the guy has a heart," Mr. Xiao-Long answered, "Even if he does seem pretty off a bunch of times. And yeah, I think I can understand your anti-Hunter sentiment. Life as a Hunter is harder than what most people think..."

"Yeah..."

Jaune's eyes seemed to have become distant after what Mr. Xiao-Long had said. Weiss could feel the concern in the room, and along with that was the former heiress's curiosity regarding her musician companion and his history with Hunters.

"But hey, now's not the time for that," the older man cut in. "You two visited us for some fun, and I'm not gonna let the mood go crashing just like that. So come on, let's have some lunch!"

Weiss blinked, and she remembered why she and Jaune had come to visit. She never really expected things to go this roughly, though.

Still, it would be a waste to drown in negativity, and wasting some good-smelling food isn't something the former heiress wanted to do, especially when she ate significantly less than she was used to during her days as the Schnee heiress.

So, she went to sit by the table. But before that...

"Come on, Jaune."

She needed to help her companion musician keep himself together.

As for his response, he nodded and followed.

* * *

Lunchtime was filled with fish and vegetables. Everyone except Weiss seemed to be pretty used to having to debone fish with their bare hands, while the former heiress tried her very best to hide her annoyance at how sticky her fingers were getting while she removed and set aside those pesky fishbones.

Fortunately, no one teased her about that. She was expecting some teasing, though, which made the lack of such a surprise to her.

With that, she took a trip to the kitchen sink to get the sticky soup traces out of her hands. There, she noticed some small stain marks on her dress, to which she let out a hidden groan.

"I need to get used to this..." she told herself.

After that, eating her meal wasn't quite an annoying affair anymore. Small talk was done while she and Jaune ate with the members of the Xiao-Long house, though Jaune wasn't very active when it came to their lunchtime chat.

Really, seeing him like that, along with being in this amazingly warm mealtime interaction, reminded Weiss of how cold and stiff she and her family were at the dining table.

"Hey, Jaune, is it okay if you and Weiss perform for us later?"

"Sure. You okay with that, Weiss?"

Well, considering what she and Jaune intended to do here in the first place, the answer was already obvious. And hey, the music can help them de-stress. Maybe it would even help Jaune get along with Yang better, especially with the blonde girl showing a friendlier side of hers.

"Alright, then."

Ruby's excited response, which included a cute squeal and a bright smile, lightened the atmosphere, making the former heiress and her companions by the table have bright smiles as well.

_"I hope she doesn't lose that joy-bringing part of her childishness as she grows up,"_ the wandering singer said in her mind. _"Our world dearly needs that."_

A part of her tried to make a counterargument, saying that the little red reaper would definitely go through further suffering, but still...

Weiss kept on daring to hope.

* * *

After having lunch, the members of the Xiao-Long house and their visitors spent some time resting before the awaited performance. Mr. Xiao-Long spent a shorter while, as he washed the dishes and did some chores while letting the youths chill out.

As for how they were chilling out, the four were split up into two pairs. Jaune and Ruby were chatting outside, while Weiss and Yang were lounging in the living room.

"So...you sing, huh?" Yang asked, glancing at Weiss from her casual lying position on the couch.

"Yes," answered Weiss, who was leaning on her seat with a straighter posture. "I've told you that recently."

"That so, huh? Okay, so...What sort of songs do you sing, then?"

"I prefer classical, orchestral, and slow sorts of songs. I am trying to get used to singing more...modern genres, though."

The former heiress felt some heat in her face as she remembered her recent experience with rock. Sure, it was more fun than expected, but still, Schnee pride was looking down on her, damn it! Schnees don't scream like untamed animals! Schnees have control! Schnees have -

"'Modern genres'? What, you sing rock or something too?"

Strangely, the former heiress was feeling more heat coming out of her face. Where did all those years of trained self-control go, then?

"Huh...I don't get why you're embarrassed, but I think that's awesome!"

And then Weiss noticed the breath she had released at that. Really...did Yang just...

"...awesome?"

"Yeah, awesome!" Yang repeated, sitting up with a grin on her face. "Heh, you look like you did something worse than just being nervous in front of an audience. Did your voice crack onstage or something like that?"

And then the heat in Weiss's face increased again. Was Yang purposely messing around with her?

"It was...not very noticeable..." Weiss added, desperately hoping that Yang wouldn't understand and laugh at her failure back there.

Also, not making her own face twitch and strain was becoming a more difficult struggle.

"Talk about lucky..."

"You call that _lucky_? Haha, the thought of such a failure is embarrassing even though not many noticed it! It was my first time engaging with such a beastly and brutish genre, and I am having mixed feelings about it!"

And Weiss was breathing hard, taking time to recover her breath before inevitably noticing the shocked expression on Yang's face.

"O...kay...?" the blonde girl tried to answer. "I still think it's awesome, even though it was your first time with it..."

The wandering singer, blushing with a shade of red that was probably shining, decided to not let that irrational pride of hers take over again.

"Thank you, Yang," she said, making eye contact with the blonde girl.

Then, Weiss breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay here, girls?"

"Arf!"

Suddenly, Mr. Xiao-Long entered the living room. He also had a black-and-white corgi in his arms.

When Weiss saw that dog, she became certain about her answer to Mr. Xiao-Long's question.

"Yes," the former heiress answered with brightened eyes. "Everything is fine."

* * *

"Weiss, I think you've spent enough time with the dog already."

"He is no mere dog, Jaune. He is Zwei, a very good male corgi. Also, five more minutes, please."

She knew that she had to part with the super cute dog eventually, but why do they need to experience such inevitable parting?

"Sorry to say this, Weiss, but you promised us a performance," said Yang, who took Zwei into her arms.

"Aww..."

The dog whimpered along with Weiss there. Is there any way for their friendship to continue?

"Wait, I got an idea!"

Ruby had declared that, but even the little red reaper's energy wasn't enough to cheer Weiss up.

"How about you perform a song about Zwei?"

Well, perhaps that can help them deal with the inevitable farewell?

"Do you want a song for you, Zwei?" Weiss asked the super cute dog.

"Arf!" Zwei barked, and the former heiress didn't think that it was a tone of something other than agreement.

"Alright, then!" the wandering singer declared, standing up and feeling taller. "Jaune!"

"Right here."

"Music!"

And Jaune did some fast strumming, with chords switching, some well-timed pauses, and eventually...

Well, Weiss sang instinctively. Besides, the current audience was made up of three people and one super precious corgi. And as long as her audience, especially the corgi, had fun, well...she would continue singing, of course!

Yes, Weiss felt her joy increasing when the audience started dancing along with the music that she and Jaune were making.

When the song ended, she heard cheer-filled howls.

Indeed, Weiss had never felt so happy before.

With that, the music continued until they tired out.

* * *

"Uncle Qrow's home!"

Weiss, who was sleeping on the floor with Zwei, was jolted awake by the loudness of a door being slammed open and someone shouting words out.

"Dust damn it, Qrow..." the former heiress heard Mr. Xiao-Long, who had slept on the floor as well, but on another side of the room. Currently, he was rubbing his eyes and sitting up along with his daughters, who were by his sides.

"Ugh...why am I getting a sense of deja vu right now...?" said a groaning Jaune, who had slept on an unfortunate spot, which was right beside the doorway.

"Huh...I was expecting more energy here," the tall and scruffy man on the doorway asked. "Did I miss a party or something?"

"It's not _that_ sort of party, if that's what you're asking, Uncle Qrow," answered Yang, who was stretching herself out.

"Aw...Oh well...I need some sleep, anyway. Tell Tai that I'm borrowing his room again, okay?"

"I'm right here, Qrow!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know..."

The man named Qrow passed them by, heading to a corridor and going out of sight. Moments later, there was the sound of a door being opened and then closed.

"I need to move somewhere safer..." Weiss then heard Jaune say. "Away from the door...Away from the door..."

Then, a yawn was heard from Ruby.

"Uncle Qrow's back...?" the little red reaper also asked

""Yeah,"" her sister and her father answered in unison.

"Yay...I wanna sleep some more, though..."

"Ruby, Yang, we're gonna clean up the house," Mr. Xiao-Long declared as he stood up and stretched. "Come on, we gotta put this place back in order."

Weiss then looked around to see what he was talking about, and yes, there was a mess. Chairs, tables, and a bunch of other things were pushed away from their usual spots for dancing space while Weiss and Jaune performed. Sure, it wasn't like the aftermath of the rowdy house parties that the former heiress had heard about every now and then, but the way the furniture and such were arranged still constituted as a mess to Weiss.

A part of Weiss thought of just leaving the cleaning to the hosts and Jaune, but she quickly remembered her current status, which she thought about with a sigh.

"Dad, can't we chill out some more?"

"Yeah, Dad. I wanna sleep some more..."

"Sure."

""Really?""

"After cleaning this place up. I don't wanna have to this put off again and again, and you know me when it comes to messes in the house."

""Awww...""

"Arf!"

"Look, even Zwei's up for cleaning!"

""Fine, Dad...""

Well, maybe cleanup time wouldn't be so bad with such an amusing family around...

Now, time to wake another person up some more...

"Jaune, we need to do cleaning."

"Right now? Ugh, fine..."

Despite that response, Jaune did join the cleanup. He seemed to be used to doing such things, too, judging from him not looking as uncomfortable as Weiss while in the middle of cleaning.

As for Weiss, though...

"So...do I sweep like...this...?"

Asking such questions earned her weird looks, and it made Weiss's awkward look even more awkward.

"Well, you do it like this..." Mr. Xiao-Long cut in, breaking the awkward silence. "Come on, follow me."

At that, Weiss felt like the older man knew who she really was, along with not letting other people know unless she allowed him to.

And so, the former heiress nodded, following Mr. Xiao-Long on the path of learning how to do some household chores.

* * *

After cleanup, they were seated again in the living room, but with the girls on the couch, Zwei on the seat, and the two awake males sitting on different spots on the floor.

"Ah..." Mr. Xiao-Long breathed, looking up at the electrically illuminated ceiling. "How refreshing."

"It's harder to sleep now, though," Ruby followed, forearm standing between her chin and her thigh.

"Eh, that means more time for girl talk with you and Weiss later!" Yang added, grinning at her fellow females. "We'll be sleeping in my room, girls!"

"Ooh, that's gonna be so much fun!" an excited Ruby replied, legs swinging while she held her hands together. "Best. Day. Ever!"

"Is that so..." Weiss responded, not feeling excitement at the sisters' level. She never had enough time for such things during her time as Schnee heiress, and while she lived as such, it ended up becoming something that seemed shallow to her.

Still, with her unable to become Schnee heiress anymore, the idea of having such a sleepover was somewhat more welcome to Weiss. Plus, she wanted to understand the lives of people from the classes below her former social class.

"So...who's that Qrow guy?"

Suddenly, Jaune asked that question, making Weiss remember that strange man who barged into the house and slept in Mr. Xiao-Long's room.

"Qrow?" Mr. Xiao-Long replied. "Oh, he's Yang and Ruby's uncle. Well, biologically, he's just Yang's uncle, but we're pretty close, so yeah, even Ruby calls him 'Uncle' as well."

"That so, huh...?" the blonde musician said, eyes gaining some sort of distant look. "He's a pretty...weird guy, alright..."

"Yeah, I get what you mean there," the older man agreed. "And like it or not, he's a pretty skilled and respected Hunter."

At that, Jaune snorted, and he didn't speak further, only looking up while leaning on one side of the seat where Zwei was curled up on.

Mr. Xiao-Long seemed to have understood what Jaune was feeling, considering the older man's sigh, which was followed by a look to the bedroom corridor, a shake of his head, and a sigh with a "Dust damn it, Qrow..."

Then, Mr. Xiao-Long stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna have to make dinner now," he said. "Feel free to make yourselves more at home while you wait."

Weiss then looked at her companion musician with concern. Sure, they had fun, but he still seemed to have some emotional burden inside him.

Still, prying wasn't a good idea. She'd let him be for now.

When Weiss looked at her fellow females, they were also wearing concerned expressions.

"Looks like I'm not the only he has issues with in this family, huh?" Yang wondered, awkward smile formed on her face.

"I hope you all get along better..." Ruby said, her expression of sadness making expressions of cheerfulness tougher to make.

"Well, come on, let's set up our bedroom our later first!" the blonde girl shouted out, jumping up into standing position. "And for now, let's give some space for Jaune. He needs it, you know."

And with that, Yang went to the corridor which led to the bedrooms.

As for Ruby, she was looking at Jaune.

When Weiss turned to look at her companion musician, she saw him with his eyes closed, still leaning on one side of Zwei's seat.

After some seconds, Weiss turned around and went to follow Yang.

"Come on, Ruby," the wandering singer also said, hoping that the little red reaper would feel better later.

"Alright..."

Well, at least Ruby was following.

* * *

"So...the three of us will be sleeping...on two beds?"

"Well, more close contact means more fun! I _will_ kick your ass if you try to cop a feel, though."

If Yang's probably joking response was supposed to embarrass her, then Weiss would say that it wasn't causing its desired effect.

And if there were someone to be worried about when it came to close contact, then said person would be Yang. Into girls or not, the blonde girl seemed to be of the sort who would kick people out of her bed and/or keep them awake through annoying snoring.

"Sleeping on the floor is a better idea for the two of us, Weiss," said Ruby, who had the look of someone who experienced suffering within the resting territory of her Goldilocks-like older sister.

"Well, looks like I'll have to put your bed back into your room, then, Ruby," Yang commented, moving to lift the transferred bed, only to be interrupted by Ruby's hand grabbing her shoulder.

"Keep it here," the little red reaper ordered. "So you won't fall off the bed."

At that, Yang was silent, but there was a growing smile on her face.

"Aww, thanks, Rubes!" the older sister then went, giving her younger sister a very tight hug.

"Air...I need air..."

Weiss giggled at that interaction. For a few moments, she also wished that her own older sister would have that sort of energy, but she then continued with considering a cool Winter a more natural Winter.

Yes, the former heiress would consider herself lost in another world if her older sister acted as boisterous as Yang.

"Still, we're gonna have our girl talk on the bed for extra comfort!"

"Guh!"

Yang's really tight with the hugging, alright.

Eventually, the blonde girl released the wandering singer, who took in a deep intake of air after that hug.

As she recovered, Weiss also saw Ruby's smile.

"Welcome to the family, Weiss," the little red reaper said.

"Welcome to the family!" Yang shouted, pulling the other two girls into a gentler but still energetic hug. "Even though you're gonna leave and wander around again, Weiss."

"Yeah..." Weiss replied. "I guess I'll be free to come back here some other time, no?"

"Of course!" Ruby assured, smiling.

"No freeloading, though!" Yang added, grinning.

Weiss chuckled at that.

"Of course," she said.

Suddenly, there was some knocking on the door.

"It's time for dinner, girls!" the voice of Mr. Xiao-Long carried.

"""Dinnertime!"""

And so, three girls shouted with energy as they ran out to the dining table.

* * *

"Well, hey there, girls!"

"Hi, Uncle Qrow!"

"Yo, Uncle Qrow!"

"Hello...?"

Weiss's energetic entry along with Ruby and Yang grew awkward when the sisters greeted their tall and scruffy uncle, who was sitting by a dining table that had another big bowl of vegetables.

The man named Qrow had probably tried to give the wandering singer a greeting after playfully ruffling Ruby's and Yang's hair, but he paused, expression turning into that of confusion.

"Ice Queen?"

At that, Weiss looked at Jaune, who, while sitting on a seat that was far from Qrow's, was now looking annoyed at the scruffy man.

"I didn't tell him about the nickname before that, if that's what you're thinking," the blonde musician also said, having caught Weiss's look. "And hey, don't even think about asking further, you drunkard," he added to the man who had some reeking traces of alcohol scent.

"Who are you?" the former heiress couldn't help asking Qrow. From the way he reacted to her appearance, he seemed to know Winter and her seriousness.

"Huh, someone who doesn't know me..." the uncle commented, scratching the top of his head, before pausing again and pointing an index finger up. "Wait, are you a Schnee?"

Weiss felt one of her eyes twitching. Maybe she should've kept silent and let Jaune handle the rest, but no, there was no turning back now.

"No, I am not," she answered. Sure, he may be ignorant, but reminding her of her disinheritance still caused soreness in her.

Also, dread started creeping up on her when the thought of the implications of her disinheritance crossed her mind. Said thought made her angry at her and her immaturity, and she dearly hoped for her survival in the future.

"Really?" Qrow asked. "You remind me of someone named Winter Schnee, you know...with that pale skin tone, those blue eyes, that bunched-up hairstyle, and, uhh...no rack, though...but hey, you're beginning to remind me of her some more! You a fan of her and her hardass ways or something?"

Weiss then felt her left hand clenching into a fist.

"Excuse me?" she asked the rude man. She wasn't going to let that rudeness slide, alright, especially when said rudeness involved insulting her dear older sister.

"Whoa, someone's a hardcore fan," Qrow continued. "With the way you're acting right now, you're probably qualified to be her sister!"

"That is because I _am_ her sister, you insolent fool!"

And then there was silence.

A shocked expression was on the rude man's face.

Ruby and Yang looked confused.

Jaune sighed, shaking his head.

Mr. Xiao-Long, who had just arrived at the scene, could be heard muttering another "Dust damn it, Qrow..."

"Wait, what are you talking about, Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked. "Who's Winter Schnee?"

"Yeah, who's that, Uncle Qrow?" Ruby followed. "Is she someone famous?"

Qrow blinked, looked at his nieces, and answered.

"Yeah," he said. "Definitely, with her family and their business."

Then, he turned to look at Weiss.

"Though with you here like this...I guess the rumors are true, then."

_"Rumors?"_ Weiss questioned in her mind, eyes widening. _"I should have noticed more than one instance of Jaune and I being stalked by reporters and paparazzi already at this point!"_

It was strange to think about, really. She had faced her father's rage at her intent to let go of being the Schnee heiress, and she knew how cold he could get...right?

Did he still care for her?

_"No...no, that's just cowardly...No turning back...He would reject me further if I attempt to return..."_

Yes, Weiss was sure about that aspect of her father: He hated people who held weak resolve.

"Weiss? You okay?"

To her surprise, she was brought out of her thinking by Jaune, who was now standing beside her.

"Yeah..." the former heiress answered halfheartedly. "And I'm sorry," she couldn't help adding. "I should have kept silent."

"Eh, we'll deal with what happens next," Jaune told her. "And it seems like you're pretty lucky right now, 'cause apparently, there've been no crazy SDC-related scoop hunters while we've been out wandering."

"That doesn't discount the possibility of such reporters trying to find me, though."

"Well, when they show up, maybe we should kick their asses away."

"That sounds like a stupid idea."

"Well, you want them to go away, right?"

"I'd like to _smartly_ drive them away, thank you very much."

"Are you really famous, Weiss?"

"Yeah, really, Weiss-cream?"

Suddenly, the two sisters of the Xiao-Long household were beside the duo of wandering musicians, curiosity in their faces as they leaned towards them.

Well, the cat's out of the bag now, so...

"Yes," Weiss confirmed. "You can say that. Strange is how I am not being chased by reporters and paparazzi, though..."

"Well, isn't that lucky, then?" Yang asked. "I mean, none of those hounding dumbasses around, after all."

"Not like they won't be around, Yang," Jaune refuted, which caused the blonde girl's eyes to widen for some moments before blinking. "Also, you're forgiven. Sorry for being a jerk today, too."

Wait, what?

"Wait, really?" Yang asked, her violet eyes very widened this time. "Wha...How?"

"Oh, you know...friendly people...friendly chats...some space..." he listed, a blush on his face as he looked away. "Okay, just...just...I don't mind if you don't take it, okay? That feels fair - "

And he was cut off by a hug from Yang.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" she exclaimed, emphasizing that last "Thank you" via accidentally giving Jaune less air. "I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

"Need...air..."

"Oh, sorry! I'm really sorry again!"

"Apology...accepted..." Jaune replied, breathing hard with a smile.

"Welcome to the family, Jaune!" Ruby greeted, accompanied by a yip from Zwei. "Group hug time!"

And all the teenagers did a group hug.

Oh, and Yang made sure to not cut off airways this time.

"Hey, can some old men join in?" Qrow's raspy voice interrupted.

"No alcohol for tonight, though, Qrow!" Mr. Xiao-Long shouted.

"Eh, sure, as long as we're one happy family!"

And so, a stinky old crow tried to join a group hug.

"Ew, Uncle Qrow!"

"Uncle Qrow, you need a bath!"

"I forgot about the stench! Ugh!"

"Away from me, away from me!"

"Aw, damn it!"

"Hahahaha! That's Qrow, alright!"

They all had dinner that night, still.

* * *

"So...how'd you meet Jaune?"

"One angry meeting after my supposedly last concert. It was very life-changing."

"Hm? How so?"

"I don't like that look you're having, Yang."

"Ah come on, I'm just kidding around, Weiss-cream!"

With Mr. Xiao-Long and Jaune excitedly dragging stinky old Qrow Branwen to what the two blonde males called a "unique boys' night out," the girls plus Zwei were currently in Yang's room, wearing pajamas while sitting on Yang's special sleepover bed.

Ruby was wearing a red-and-black set with a checkered design, Yang was wearing a plain yellow set with a buttoned top, and Weiss was wearing a simple blue-and-white set that didn't bear the Schnee family insignia.

Also, Weiss had her hair down, letting the usually bunched-up locks reach her upper back.

"You'll have to work on your humor, then," Weiss told Yang.

"Alright, then, Ms. Know-It-All," Yang answered back, smirking. "Why don't you enlighten me about the tricks of the experts, then? Of course, that's assuming that you have a sense of humor."

Now that pressed Weiss towards trying to find a good answer more quickly.

Hm, maybe that would work...

"Oof!"

And so, with a pillow, Weiss whacked the blonde girl, knocking her off the bed.

"Ow!" Yang added, making Weiss smirk.

That smirk lasted for a few moments, though, as the blonde girl threw a pillow at the former heiress's face, knocking her down as well.

"You picked the wrong gal to have a pillow fight with, Weiss-cream," Yang said with a confident tone, towering over Weiss.

"Hey, don't ignore me here!" Ruby interrupted, waving her arms in the air. "I wanna ask questions to Weiss!"

"But you're missing out on a pillow fight, Ruby!" the older sister tried to dissuade.

"Yang, you always win pillow fights," the younger sister deadpanned. "And I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to beat Weiss there, too."

Well, Yang did seem intimidating and ready to wrestle her opponent to submission back there with the way she spoke and towered. Better to be spared in exchange for some bruised pride, then...or maybe...

"Gotcha!"

"Whoa!"

What followed was a tangle of attempted wrestling moves, something that Yang managed to control more easily than Weiss could.

"Told ya, Weiss-cream!"

"Well, at least you tried, Weiss."

As a result, Weiss was on the sheet-covered floor, with one cheek touching the surface while Yang lay on a pillow that was right on top of the former heiress's head.

"Fine, I surrender..." Weiss declared, leading the top-heavy weight on top of her to get off from her position. "Now, what questions do you have, Ruby?"

At that, the little red reaper in pajamas played with her fingers while she scrunched up her face in thought. Then, she swallowed, and then...

"Are you and Jaune...together-together?"

Wait...that's it?

"Haven't we talked about that already?" Weiss asked back, eyebrow raised. "We're not like that. We're just business partners, so to speak. That, and friends. Strange friends, I guess."

"Really?" Ruby wondered, and wow, the hope in those silver eyes of hers didn't do a lot to hide her crush on the guy.

"You're still having that crush on him, huh, sis?" Yang quipped, causing Ruby to blush.

"W-Well...yeah...I have a crush on him...and to be honest...I'm jealous of Weiss..."

Now that made Weiss snort.

"If you were in my place, you'd be trying to tear your hair out," said the former heiress, wryly smiling. "Sure, he may be smarter than me when it comes to the streets, but when he teaches, he rubs it in."

That, and she still didn't think that her current state of life wasn't finished with the delivery of surprises. Jaune often took charge when it came to dealing with their clients, and although Weiss had observed Schnee family members doing business before, dealing with concert logistics, let alone in lower-class settings, was a clearly different field that she didn't deal with much before.

Well, looks like she'll have to up her confidence and be more involved with Jaune when he works those deals again, then. Business was one thing which she found great importance in, and although mistakes were a daunting and sometimes inevitable prospect, she was going to make sure that she and Jaune weren't going to be cheated.

_"No more Ice Queen sitting in the throne room all day, then."_

"Boo!"

And Weiss let out a yelp as she fell over and hit the floor again.

Then, she heard Ruby and Yang's laughter.

The former heiress then let out a huff as she sat back up and rubbed the back of her head.

"You were thinking pretty deep there, Weiss-cream!" the blonde girl said, wearing a grin again. "Come on, lighten up for now! Whatever it is, I'm sure that you can deal with it!"

A part of Weiss considered Yang's advice stupid, but trying to think more about business and the future and such held heavy thoughts up ahead.

Hm, maybe a little more fun wouldn't be so bad before she went back to work again...

"Thanks, Yang," a smiling Weiss told the blonde girl.

"No problem! Now, what to talk about next...?"

"Oh, oh, I know! " Ruby entered. "Yang's going to Beacon! She's definitely gonna be awesome there!" But then her excitement went down. "Though I am gonna miss you..."

"Aw, don't worry, Rubes!" Yang assured, giving her younger sister a hug and a ruffle to her shorter hair. "We can keep in touch! Though yeah, I am gonna miss you, too. Don't go causing trouble while I'm away, okay?"

"I'll try my best, Yang..."

For a while there, Weiss thought about discussing her own decision to not continue to Beacon and her history as a member of the Schnee Family, but seeing the two sisters in front of her like that made her think twice.

_"Crushing somebody else's dreams because my own dreams were crushed...How unfair. Plus, Yang would probably beat me up if I tried to do that."_

"Say, Yang, that hair of yours is amazing," Weiss then decided to say.

"Well, I take care of it very well, of course! Anyone who messes with it will suffer."

And some time later, Weiss ended up getting her hair styled by Yang, among other things that the three girls did before going to sleep.

And yes, Weiss felt like the night went by peacefully.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, seriously, this was a tough chapter to write. Perhaps my time management during the past week or two, which included increased Internet activity and processing of a bunch of heavy topics, was a major factor there. Also, special thanks to Feng Lengshun for some particularly worthwhile feedback on this fanfic. I'm gonna need to research lots more than I first thought, alright...and researching is also a part of a writer's life, indeed...

Oh, and the approach of the V4 premiere is getting me freaking excited, yo~ Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

And hey, better not forget: Honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	7. Patches and Nightshades

_Dear Weiss,_

_Due to your status as a wanderer, I am unable to send you my own handwritten reply. Still, despite my replies to you via scroll, I do not mind you sending me handwritten letters. I shall treasure them, certainly._

_Now, regarding recent activities in the family and the business, things are surprisingly unhurried here. The pace is still like the normal, everyday pace of activities, though, but I have not noticed signs of him having released news of your disinheritance. And now that I mention it, his behavior reminds me of the time when I decided to enter the military, a time when he did not speak up to the public about my decision until I myself revealed it willingly. Currently, the rumor mill is focused on your strange absence from your usual activities in the Schnee mansion, but you still being a Schnee seems to remain a fact to everyone except Father and us, his daughters. However, I would not trust this condition to last long, as I expect the walls to have ears - especially Whitley's - so I expect you and your companion to be prepared for that._

_Also, I think we can say that Father does care about us...but in strange ways. He offered me the position of heiress,along with listing his conditions for me if I were to accept, but he let me be with a noticeable lack of edge when I disagreed with his conditions, telling me that Whitley's still there as well. Perhaps your disinheritance caused Father and I to think deeper, considering our actions and thoughts about management of various things in our lives, no? It seems to be that way to me, as Father has been quieter lately, while some of my subordinates have expressed surprise at how gentler I am to them._

_As for the changes in your life, well, troubles are to be expected. No one is exempted from them on the road to progress. The pride and confidence we have will be shattered, and those times will be painful. Still, it is in those times when we realize our foolishness, and as long as we do not continue to let pain and failure take control of ourselves, those times will lead us to learning, improvement, and success. Do not stay down after you stumble. Stand up and live on. And do not forget to have a sharper eye towards people. To build meaningful bonds with other people is very important, and treating them as more than faceless figures will help in the formation of such bonds. I will be honest, however: I had made the mistake of underestimating people more than once before, and I had to pay the price. Still, those times had led me to becoming who I am now, and perhaps they will continue to do so as long as my short temper maintains its habit of being short. I do not regret becoming a Specialist, yes, and as for you, my dear sister, I will do my very best to help you towards becoming someone you will not regret._

_Now, I would like to say that I am happy for you and the friendships that you had formed. Keep building such bonds well, Weiss._

_Also, your information about Beacon Headmaster Ozpin is likely to irritate General Ironwood. I can imagine the General calling Ozpin a hypocrite for doing such underhanded actions, though perhaps the insult can be thrown back at the General, sadly. Yes, your change of course in life has made me think about how much I have actually contributing to society as a Huntress and as a Specialist. Do not fret about it, however, as I have not lost the will to fulfill those two roles, and you can say that I have gone too far away from the thought of quitting away from them._

_Now, regarding the works of music that you have talked about...whether I would like it or not, watching you do something you chose to do would make me happy. I look forward to watching you and your companion performing at least once sometime, wherever and whenever that performance would be. I am also considering finding some safe and profitable locations for your work as well while traveling around Remnant during my work time, and I would do so if you are willing. Please forgive me for being a meddling sister if my suggestion does not please you, though._

_Anyway, I hope you are having worthwhile times with your friends. Give that Arc boy my regards for his help in your growth...and a slap to his face for irritating my dear younger sister. But in seriousness, I will not mind if you choose not to give that slap, but I will not be surprised if you actually decide to slap him. Though...yes, I honestly want him slapped._

_And again, I do not mind receiving handwritten letters from you. With that, I am looking forward to your reply, my dear sister._

_Your older sister,_

_Winter_

* * *

Waking up in the morning had Weiss checking her scroll, which seemed to be a habit that she was growing lately. She was notified about a message from Winter, which she had already finished reading.

Yes, it was a shame for her dear older sister to be unable to reply with a handwritten letter as well, but she understood that it couldn't be helped. Still, she would make another handwritten reply sometime.

As for the activities in the Schnee family, Weiss felt a mix of relief and nervousness. There was embarrassment and anxiety about the turmoil she had caused within Father and Winter, and then there was worry about younger brother Whitley, but still, she took Winter's advice to heart.

And speaking of Winter's encouragement, Weiss was welcome to the idea of Winter suggesting performance locations, though the former heiress intended to do that once she got the hang of handling deals with future employers.

"Weiss...what was that for...?"

"My older sister gives you her regards."

Also, Weiss fulfilled that request from her older sister. To be more exact, she smiled at Jaune as she slapped his face and pulled it back into place.

"Would you older sister consider giving something gentler?" Jaune deadpanned back.

"No," Weiss answered, still smiling. "It would take a lot to earn mercy from a soldier like her, Jaune."

"Well, that sucks, then," the blonde musician replied with a groan and a shake of his head. "Anyway, aren't you girls gonna ask us about last night and this heartbroken crow here?"

With that, Weiss, accompanied by Ruby and Yang, put their focus on Qrow, who looked and smelled like he got thrown into a ditch or something similar.

"Uuugghhh..." the scruffy man groaned, his tired eyes focused on the ceiling.

"What did you two blonde boys do to him, exactly...?" Yang asked, a grin growing on her face.

"While we were on a trip to the pub without actually drinking alcohol..." Mr. Xiao Long started.

"Ooh, that's gonna be one crazy trip," Ruby commented.

"...your Uncle Qrow was egging Jaune to show off some pickup skills."

Meanwhile, Jaune slicked his hair back and gave a cheeky smile and wink to Weiss, who rolled her eyes.

"And then he managed to have some fun conversation with one girl," Mr. Xiao Long continued, "Which didn't go well with Uncle Qrow here, so the guy decided to up the difficulty by challenging Jaune into picking up two dating lesbians."

"Ooh, I like where this is going..." Yang said, grin really wide at this point.

"I didn't actually pick them up, though," Jaune added. "More like asked them to pretend that they were willing to have a threesome with me and speak loud enough for Qrow to hear. Qrow got pissed, but that wasn't the end of it yet."

"It was at that point when he decided to try maintaining his pride as - quote, unquote - 'The Master of Casual,'" the older blonde man continued. "The broken pride really showed when he tried to pick up four girls...who were Huntresses having a team reunion."

"They then gave Qrow the juiciest innuendo," Jaune followed, "Escorted him out of the bar, with us following them...and then..."

"""He got beaten up?""" the three girls tried to finish.

"It's just a minor setback, you blonde bastards!" Qrow complained, one hand raised to the air while he slouched on a chair and glared at the two blonde males. "I'm a Huntsman, and my stamina is unbeatable! I can deal with not drinking for longer times, too!"

That last statement was followed by his raised hand moving to touch a side of his pants, which was followed by frantic tapping on that part, and then an utterance of "Damn it...I can't wait to get a mission again..."

"That's our uncle, alright," Ruby remarked, shaking her head with a resigned sigh. "As for the three of us, it was one fun night! We painted nails, styled our hair, and talked about boys!"

"Like Jaune!"

And Yang got an elbow from Ruby.

"I didn't say anything, Ruby..." Yang shot back with a cheeky smirk.

"Yaaaaaaaaang..."

Mr. Xiao Long chuckled at that.

"Ah, youth..." he also said. "Jaune will still need to go through me and your Uncle Qrow if he's interested, though...but first, you'll have to finish school!"

"Daaaaaaaaaad!" Ruby yelled, face colored with her trademark color.

Ruby's fellow family members, even tired Qrow, gave some laughter at that. Weiss simply sighed and smiled at the lively family.

"Sorry, though, Ruby..." Jaune then said, an awkward smile on his face, "But I have someone else I'm interested in, and...well, we can still be friends and chat via scroll, no?"

The little red reaper, still blushing, then hung her head and let her shoulders sink, sighing.

"That sucks...Well, at least we're still friends!" Ruby declared, though the smile on her face seemed somewhat forced. "Who's the girl you're interested in, though...?"

"Do I smell rivalry here...?" Yang stage-whispered, only to get another elbow from Ruby.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Jaune replied, smile on his face as he placed a hand on Ruby's head, ruffling her hair, "I'm sure there'll be a likable guy who will like you as well!"

"Yeah!" Qrow cut in, raising a pointer finger. "Take a page from your Uncle Qrow: Never give up!"

"And don't be a smelly drunk," Mr. Xiao Long added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever...and keep on having that energy, Ruby!"

"Also, make sure you introduce him to us sometime!" Yang threw in with a hug. "Dad, Qrow, and I would be happy to welcome him, if you get what I mean!"

Again, Ruby sighed with resignation, but she wore a smile as well.

"This is my family, alright..." Ruby said, relaxing in Yang's hug.

"What a great family, indeed..." Weiss then whispered to herself, feeling some envy as she smiled at Ruby and her family. _"I wish I had a family as energetic as theirs...but still, I don't want to throw my family away just like that, let alone Winter..."_

* * *

"You're leaving today, Weiss?"

"Yeah...Jaune told me about a job offer he received today. We'll be going back to Vale today to be able to prepare further. I'm sorry to be going so soon, Ruby."

Outside the house, with the sun up in the sky, Weiss and Jaune stood in front of Ruby, Yang, and Mr. Xiao-Long. Qrow had left for another mission, while the wandering musicians were carrying their luggage as they stood.

"Well, we'll definitely miss you," the little red reaper said. "Oh, and you got my scroll number and Yang's, right?"

"Yes, I do," Weiss answered. "I made sure to triple-check my list of contacts before leaving."

"And here we have the Ice Queen again," Jaune quipped, earning a flick to his forehead from Weiss. "Anyway, we'll probably visit again sometime. I don't know exactly when, but there's a chance. For now, feel free to message us via scroll!"

"Will do!" Yang affirmed with a thumbs-up.

"Good luck, you two," Mr. Xiao Long then told the wandering musician duo. "And be careful," he added, though his eyes were focusing more on Jaune at that point. "I know it would be too much to ask you to put your trust in Huntsmen and Huntresses, too, though, but I don't know how to tell you what you should do in case of Grimm and all that..."

"No need to worry, Mr. Xiao Long," the blonde musician replied. "I've been realizing that I've been immature to Huntsmen and Huntresses...yeah..."

Weiss saw what seemed to be sadness in Jaune's face as he said that. His gaze also seemed distant again as he looked down at the ground.

"Take care, anyway, Jaune, Weiss," the older man responded. "I hope you two find happiness...well, not in that way, but if you do find it in that way...then hey, another good thing, no?"

At that, Weiss gave a glance at Jaune, who didn't seem affected by that reference to the possibility of a romantic relationship. Still, he seemed out of it, eyes not looking up ahead.

"Yeah, okay..." Jaune also said.

She wouldn't say that she had romantic feelings for him, but Weiss did feel the need to talk with her partner musician some more while riding a Bullhead to Vale. She was relying on him, and she wasn't planning on doing nothing and letting him be a burden as well.

"Let's go, Jaune," Weiss told him. Then, to Ruby, Yang, and Mr. Xiao Long: "Until we meet again."

"Alright," Jaune replied. "Take care," he also said, but with his back facing the three Patch residents.

"Hey, how about I go along with you guys to the port and all?" Yang then said as Weiss began to turn around and follow Jaune. "You look like you need to be sent off with some more energy, you know..." she also said with an awkward smile.

"Fine..." the blonde musician answered with a resigned sigh, beginning his walk to the port quickly.

"Alright, then," Weiss agreed with a nod. "Perhaps you can help, Yang."

"Sweet," Yang said with a small smile.

Still, Weiss could see some worry and concern in the blonde girl's face.

* * *

"So..."

"What is it, Yang?"

For someone who offered to accompany them for the sake of bringing in more energy, Yang was strangely quiet.

"Well..." the blonde girl started, "To be honest, I...I wanted to make a selfish request."

Weiss sighed at that, but Yang interrupted as the former heiress tried to make a reply.

"It's something I didn't want to talk about in front of Qrow and Dad and Ruby!" she explained with a nervous shout, followed by taking something out of her pocket. "I'm sorry, it's just...I'm looking for my mom."

Yang then showed a picture of two people. One of them was a younger version of Taiyang Xiao Long, smiling while having an arm over the shoulder of a stoic woman pulled close to him, a woman whose features reminded Weiss of the girl who held the photo.

"Your biological mother?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," Yang answered. "She's still alive. She...she quickly left Dad and I after I was born, though...She really broke his heart, but...Well, I just want to know why she left us like that!"

She wasn't really sure about it, but Weiss felt like she caught a glimpse of Yang's eyes becoming blazing red momentarily. Still, Yang's frustration was clear to Weiss.

"And by the way, I was looking for information about her during the time when I trashed that bar Jaune was performing at once," the blonde girl added. "I wasn't going to let the info guy off just like that, so I decided to try getting info by kicking his ass, and then I got into a brawl against his thugs, and I got carried away...I'm really really sorry..."

Taking that bursting flow of information in took some more time and effort on Weiss's part, and she blinked as she thought about what to say.

Yang, abandoned by her biological mother right after giving birth to her? If that wasn't bad, then Weiss didn't know what was actually bad at all.

Also, Weiss reminded herself to be more careful when around Junior's nightclub, but hey, that's another matter for another time...

"I don't know how much I can help..." Weiss then said, "Maybe it would be little...but I will try, especially if I see her. She needs some explaining to do to her daughter, indeed."

And then Weiss was suddenly wrapped in a hug.

"Thank you..." Yang whispered, "And I'm sorry for the trouble..."

Weiss smiled, and she dropped her suitcase to hug the blonde girl back as well.

"Don't worry," the former heiress said. "I'll do my best to help. That's what friends are for, no?"

At that, Weiss felt a sigh of relief from Yang. Then, they let go of each other, both having smiles on their faces.

"You're awesome, Weiss-cream," the blonde girl gently praised.

"Thank you, Yang," the white-haired girl responded. "I'll take the photo with me, then."

"Alright."

Weiss took the photo and kept it in between the pages of one of her novels in her suitcase, and with that...

"Let's go, Weiss. Wouldn't want to make Jaune wait for too long, you know. Like, Xiao Long are we gonna stand here?"

Sighing with a light facepalm and a shake of her head, the wandering singer gave the flicked the blonde girl's forehead.

"Well, looks like our friendship's growing, Weiss-cream!"

Weiss chuckled at that.

"Lead the way, then, Yang."

And so, they made their way to the port town.

* * *

After exchanging goodbyes with Yang, reminding Jaune to take medicine against motion sickness, and getting seats for themselves in the Bullhead, Weiss and Jaune were on their way to one of the coastal cities in the Kingdom of Vale.

"Something on your mind, Jaune?"

"Huh? Oh...it's nothing..."

Weiss rolled her eyes, and then she narrowed her eyes on Jaune's profile.

"Really, Jaune? Nothing? You're okay with Yang and Qrow already, so what's the problem this time?"

"Tch..."

The blonde muttered something, but Weiss didn't catch what he said. Still, she maintained her sight on him.

"It's none of your business, Weiss," he said.

"It _is_ my business as well if you're going to put our future performances in jeopardy, Jaune," the former heiress snapped back, keeping her voice low while eyeing the surroundings. "I haven't been increasing my involvement beyond merely singing and following you around because of my unfamiliarity with this sort of life, and I will not let myself be like that forever. I may be a former heiress, but that doesn't erase the lessons I've learned from the Schnee family easily."

Jaune snorted, and he locked serious eyes with Weiss.

"You think you can understand?" he asked. "Well, to give you a hint, it's a family problem of my own, one which doesn't involve _your_ family. You can put your Schnee lessons back in whatever fancy castle you have in your mind there."

Weiss clenched her fists, resisting the urge to punch his face. If she weren't in a place as public as a Bullhead's interior, then she would have punched him then and there.

With that, she took a deep breath.

"We're not done with this yet, Jaune," she told him. "And if you try to run, I will hunt you down, even to the point of causing rackets."

"Yeah, sure, Ice Queen..."

The former heiress huffed, turning her head away from her grumpy companion. Simply letting him off the hook would be more counterproductive, as Weiss had a hard time imagining herself trying to find a different wandering musician companion.

Not like she looked at Jaune in _that_ way, though. Still, she wasn't going to abandon this venture so easily.

But for now, she needed to cool her head off. Calm and icy was more her style, and she was feeling the heat of rage near a dangerous level.

"Hah, joke's on you, Jaune..." Weiss muttered, wearing a litte sneer on her face before closing her eyes.

* * *

"Miss?"

"Ugh...wha...?"

"Miss, it's time to disembark."

Weiss blinked and yawned, waking up from that nap she had.

Then, when her senses were working well enough, her eyes and ears caught the emptiness and silence of the open Bullhead's interior. Near her was some man - probably a fellow passenger, judging from his clothes and his luggage - who was looking at her with concern.

"Also, uh...I think your...uhh..."

"Blonde companion with a guitar case?" Weiss tried to continue, dread creeping into her as well. "Are you saying that..."

"Uh, yeah...I think he left you behind..."

"..."

The former heiress took some seconds of silence to process that piece of information.

"Thank you very much for your information, sir," she then said.

And then she stood up, taking her suitcase, which was also left behind with her by her wayward companion.

Walking out of the Bullhead, her speed gradually increased, and so did the tightness of her grip on the handle of her suitcase.

As she walked, the flow of unfamiliar people on unfamiliar streets added fuel to her burning emotions.

Those burning emotions then took a more noticeable form.

"JAUNE ARC! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

She needed to draw his attention. She promised to hunt him down, even if it meant causing rackets and chaos and all that, if he decided to run away from her. She would draw attention until she finally drew his, and she would walk around, shouting his name again and again as she wondered about why in the world he would do something cowardly, and when she finds him, she would -

"Hey!"

"What do you want? If you're thinking tha..."

Weiss's impending rant was stopped upon seeing the girl she had turned to face.

"You're Weiss...right?"

She wore a bandana which covered the whole top of her head instead of that bow which covered a part of it like a pair of extra ears. Along with that, the presence of the apron and the long skirt in her outfit made her look more like a sociable inn worker.

Still, upon seeing her face and hearing more of her voice, Weiss felt like she had met her before.

"...Blake?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hello again, dear readers. I didn't update last week, but I'm not gonna give up on this. Meanwhile, I need to work on my time management better...and maybe read some more originals on Wattpad and on r/WritingPrompts, too...

Anyway, with this chapter, the Patch Arc is done, and so are the Patch puns in the chapter titles. Also, Blake's gonna have more presence, and with the airing of Volume 4, I'm now trying to integrate some newly introduced characters into this fanfic. I'll probably have less frequent updating in order to process new canon revelations better, though, so I'd like to apologize if the slower updating isn't pleasing to you.

Now, I'll say this again: Honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	8. Remembering Boundaries

"...Blake?"

"Yeah, my name's Blake. That girl who owned that book which Jaune gave back."

"Have you seen that Arc, then?" Weiss immediately interrogated, making the other girl tense as she marched closer. "If you have, then tell me right now!"

The former heiress was not going to let an opportunity to him go, indeed. And speaking of which...

"You maintain scroll correspondence with him as well, correct? If you know where he is, you will lead me to him, no questions asked!"

"Okay..." Blake responded with uncertainty, still tense as she took slow steps back from the shorter but more imposing girl. "Maybe he's in the inn where I'm working right now...Your next stop is that place, actually..."

"Well, why didn't you stop him, then?" Weiss snapped back, taking steps forward again. "You're the girl he fancies, and you fancy him, so _why_?"

"I don't know why you're so angry right now, but whatever it is that he did to you, I really don't know about it," Blake answered back, posture straightening up. "All I know is that you and Jaune are coming to perform in the inn where I'm working, and that I walked into you just now. Jaune hasn't contacted me, too, if you were wondering about that. So now, will you please shut up and follow me? I'm sure you wouldn't want to waste the job opportunity, princess."

"How dare - " Weiss tried to answer back, but the mentions of the job had her thinking twice.

Now, what if what Blake was saying was true? The thought of wasting such an opportunity because of another loss of temper control was not a very good thought to the former heiress, even if her companion was one uncouth and cowardly being, because she needed to sustain herself.

Well, not like she couldn't go on with venting her anger towards him if she followed Blake, right?

"Fine," Weiss decided to answer. "Take me to your workplace, then. Leave Jaune and I alone when I find him, okay?"

"Okay, okay, just follow me, princess..."

And if Blake didn't know where they were supposed to go, Weiss would unleash some worse words upon her.

* * *

After some walking and impatient talking, Blake and Weiss arrived at a homely-looking inn within a more bustling part of the coastal city.

The inn they entered felt like an extension of its surroundings, as it had a pub filled with chattering customers, with tourists being the likely majority, considering the time of day. Weiss didn't know much about the town, though, but anyway, the noise of the pub with a stage on one side was enough to tell Weiss about having to be serious about her work as a wandering singer.

"Wait here," Blake told her, walking ahead as Weiss stood by with dropped luggage, crossed arms, and a tapping foot.

Watching Blake, Weiss looked on as the raven-haired girl greeted an unfamiliar large man who was handling the bar. Words were exchanged - probably questions, considering their body language - and then the bandana-wearing girl opened a door beside the bar, entering it and leaving the former heiress's sight.

Weiss let out a breath, foot tapping faster and arms crossing tighter as she thought about what she needed to say to that Arc. Fine, maybe she was going about it too much, but he didn't need to be so rude! Manners are important, after all.

 _"Still, why am I expecting such from someone like him?"_ she asked herself as she remembered his attitude ever since they first met. _"And maybe...maybe I really am in the wrong as well..."_

The former heiress also remembered the other parts of her family, members who should be mentioned more but weren't mentioned as much. Sure, her focus was mostly on her father and her older sister when it came to interactions with her family, but that didn't keep her from remembering her mother and Whitley.

_"They are bound to find out about my dishinheritance if they haven't yet, and when they do, there will be bigger chaos..."_

With that, Weiss put a hand to her face and shook her head. The hand clenched into a fist, and she sighed, followed by a deep breath as she started thinking up an apology to say to Jaune.

She went about what to say in her mind. Asking further about his family problems was definitely out of the question, even though a part of her suggested talking about her own family problems further in exchange. Weiss was still uncomfortable about discussing those other members of her family, after all.

An admission of fault, a calm tone, an appeal for forgiveness. The process was grating on her Schnee pride, but she knew that it must be done.

Waiting became more grueling, still. What was taking Blake so long?

Suddenly, there was the muffled sound of a door creaking as it opened, and Weiss's ice blue locked with Blake's amber. The bandana-wearing ravenette nodded with a serious expression, and Weiss promptly followed, walking past the chattering customers.

When she went past the door, Blake closed it, and Weiss's curiosity was momentarily sparked by how muffled the pub customers' chatter became. The former heiress then shook her head to regain focus and keep her nervousness at bay, and she turned to look at the inn worker beside her.

"Where is he?" Weiss asked, voice more subdued than the last time she asked that sort of question.

"He got himself a room already," Blake answered, voice more subdued as well. "Well, a room for you two, that is. Still, convincing him to talk to you was a challenge."

"Well, he won't need to worry so much," Weiss tried to assure, although she felt like that was more for her own self. "I'm going to apologize to him as well."

"Well, good luck with that. Oh, and he's at Room 110."

The wandering singer didn't bother give further words to Blake, opting to nod at the ravenette and walk to the aforementioned room.

Every step felt heavier than usual, though, but Weiss continued to walk to that room's door.

By the time the door and its attached number label were right in front of her, she took a deep breath while standing in front of it.

Then, she knocked.

She didn't move, and she wasn't going to move until he himself opened it...until he showed willingness to make up with her.

The former heiress didn't know how much time was passing, but the silence she was having felt agonizing.

_"Is he even - "_

And then the door opened.

"..."

"..."

Uncertainty was in their eyes, though Jaune was probably doing better job at hiding it. Maybe Jaune was madly pacing around in his mind, too, trying to find words that would properly start the conversation that they should be having. Maybe he was knocking down important ones as he searched the nooks and crannies of his mind, but hey, shouldn't she be trying to find her own words?

"I'm sorry - " "I was a jerk - "

It was like those stupid moments which involved trying to get out of each other's way, the sort which made one confused about whether the other was intentionally getting in the way or not.

In this case, they bumped into each other, but not to the point of hitting the ground.

Now, time to take the opportunity within the momentarily shared silence...

"I'm sorry, Jaune," Weiss managed to say, stopping the blonde musician from uttering a sound. "I was prying. It was very hypocritical of me."

"And I...I guess leaving you like that was too much..." Jaune then replied, taking his chance to speak while Weiss couldn't get her words gathered right. "Yeah..."

And then they shared an awkward silence.

"So much for expecting a smooth sailing talk, alright..." Jaune added with a snort.

"Can we just go on with our lives now, then?" Weiss asked, struggling to keep her eyes on her musician companion's face. "Like...what do we do next?"

And then the wandering singer mentally headdesked at that response of hers. Again, so much for expecting a smooth sailing talk.

And again, they shared awkward silence.

"Need help?"

And the wandering musician duo gasped with a jump.

"Okay, how long have you been there, Blake?" Jaune asked, one hand on the doorway as he held his chest with his other hand. "I swear, you scared me there just now."

"I agree with Jaune," Weiss followed, form tensed as she aimed her gaze at the nonchalant inn worker. "I am having goosebumps as well."

"Well, you better keep your senses sharp, then," Blake told them. "Even wandering performers need to have that, you know." Then, she let out a breath. "Anyway, would you like some help with clearing the awkwardness between you two? It hurts to watch you two be so awkward."

"You could have just left this corridor," Weiss countered. "The door to the pub is right there."

And then there was a twitch in one of Blake's eyes.

"Tch...I did not think this through..." the bandana-wearing ravenette then grumbled, grasping her left arm with the other. "Alright, fine, I was gonna ask Jaune out."

"..."

"…"

Weiss took some seconds to process that. And then...

"Oh...Well, I guess that's okay," Jaune answered, beginning to relax and smile, though with some traces of awkwardness, still. "Finally, the first date!"

"Heh...that's great..." said Blake, who was now blushing and looking away. "So...where do you wanna go first?"

"Uh, don't you have work, Blake?" the blonde asked. "Plus, Weiss and I need to meet your boss for the performance preparations and stuff. We can go out later. That okay with you?"

"Oh..." the ravenette responded, disappointment showing a little. "Well, Ma'am Lucia's been waiting for you, so...go on, then. But don't forget our date later."

"I won't, Blake," Jaune promised, and then he turned to Weiss. "Go put your luggage in the room, and then we'll meet Ma'am Lucia, the innkeeper."

"I know, Jaune," Weiss told her blonde companion, giving him a light flick to the forehead. "No need to hammer the obvious in further."

"And here we have Her Frozen Majesty again," he replied theatrically, with exaggerated extensions of his arms and such too. "Welcome back, Ice Queen!"

The former heiress answered with a grin, though with a sideway glance and no words accompanying it. She passed her blonde companion by and entered the room, taking in the homely but decent interior design.

Weiss didn't stay in the room for long, considering how much time it took to leave her handbag and her suitcase behind. That, and she wanted to meet the employer as soon as possible.

"Let's go, Jaune, Blake," she called, pausing to wait for them.

"'Kay."

"Alright. Follow me."

Walking on the corridor of rooms, they passed a staircase by. Along the way, some people who wore outfits that were similar to Blake's exited rooms while carrying various cleaning implements and such.

And speaking of those people, they were giving the walking trio some looks. Among them, Weiss noticed a mischievous one being sent to Blake, a curious one to Jaune, and an awestruck one to the wandering singer herself.

As she walked side by side with them, Weiss managed to notice Blake rolling her eyes and Jaune raising an eyebrow.

As for the former heiress, she did feel some pride at the look that she had received, but it was subdued. Pride had made her crash a lot, after all.

"We're here," she then heard from Blake.

Looking around, the location of the innkeeper's room was easy to spot, as it was beyond the door at the end of the long corridor.

"Ma'am?" their companion inn worker asked with a loud voice, knocking loud on the door as well. "I have the two of them with me now!"

And then there was silence.

The two wandering musicians gave Blake confused looks, too.

"Ugh..."

Then, as she groaned, Blake shook her head and opened the door.

The scene which greeted them was that of a room which was just as big as the other rooms in the inn.

Also, there was an elderly woman who was doing a jig while having headphones over her ears. Said woman froze and shot a gaze a few seconds after Blake opened the door. Then, while her eyes stayed on the three in front of her, the woman slowly slid one hand into her pocket, the other reaching for her headphones.

"Ma'am Lucia, taking breaks is fine," said Blake, who had a hand on her waist, "But _please_...don't get carried away."

"Heheh...You got it, Blakey..." Ma'am Lucia replied, grinning awkwardly. "Anyway!" she then exclaimed, and wow, talk about a fast approach, "You must be Jaune, Blake's guitarist boyfriend textmate - "

"Hey!" Blake called out.

" - and you...look familiar?"

Uh-oh. Weiss felt some nervousness coming up at that, and it kept on coming as the employer eyed her at an uncomfortably close distance.

"...I don't think we've met before?" the former heiress managed to say with an awkward grin, dearly hoping for the woman to take a hint already.

"You're Wandering Weiss...correct?" the elderly woman asked, wrinkled forehead wrinkling up along with a rising eyebrow.

"Yes..." the questioned girl answered, nodding slowly.

And then there was some awkward silence.

"Great!" Ma'am Lucia suddenly declared, and then she was doing a handshake with Weiss. "I do hope that your skill is as good as Blakey claims! Especially with your looks...like wow, elegant but modest..."

And while the employer gushed on about the potential she saw in Weiss, the wandering singer herself turned to Blake.

"Is she always like this?" Weiss whispered through her teeth.

Blake's answer was a pitying nod.

With that, Weiss put on a fake smile, nodding along with whatever Lucia was spouting.

Yes, the former heiress had some thanks to give to those times when she practiced tuning out -

" - but wait a minute, Blake, did you say that Weiss here travels with Jaune?"

"Uh...yeah."

"So...lovers?"

""No.""

The wandering musicians stated their denial in unison, and then they exchanged deadpan looks, and then they met a look that reminded Weiss of a shark smelling blood.

"Interesting..." the grinning Lucia declared.

Weiss also shuddered at how that word left Lucia's mouth.

"Ma'am, our partnership does not necessarily mean a relationship like that," the former heiress tried to rebut.

"But you two look as old as Blakey here!" the elderly woman replied, still grinning. "And I know that the two of you are staying in the same room, so..."

Weiss was really resisting the urge to throttle the woman at that point. The way Lucia acted was creating a very irritating clash with how old she looked, indeed.

"Oh come on, I was just kidding!" Lucia then declared, slapping Weiss's back while cackling. "I already know about Blake's plans with your partner, you know!"

And Weiss took a deep breath.

"...and I assume that you simply wanted to rile me up?" the former heiress asked, her displeasure seeping out while she wondered about whether the gray-haired woman in front of her was once blonde or not.

Really, Lucia reminded Weiss of Yang...but now that she thought about it, Weiss considered Yang more mature.

"Yup!" the womanchild unapologetically answered. "You're gonna be a treat, alright!"

Suddenly, someone was dragging Weiss away from behind.

"Excuse me..." she said, looking over her shoulder, "But what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm keeping you from throttling our employer?" the blonde musician answered, his questioning tone sounding more like his usual sarcasm than actual confusion.

"Do I look like I'm going to throttle our employer?" Weiss asked back, raising her hands. "Clearly, I am not doing so right now."

And clearly, throttling isn't the only way to deal with annoyances.

"Well, I think we should cool off with, uh...practice!" the Arc responded. "Yeah, we'll practice!"

The Arc then gave a wordless look to Blake, who wordlessly nodded in return.

"I sense a threesome in the making..." the oh-so irritating womanchild decided to add.

Jaune's pull quickened after that, and the two wandering musicians got out of the room. Once the duo managed to get out, the bandana-wearing ravenette shut the door to Lucia's room.

All seemed peaceful, and even the Arc seemed to think so as well, considering his sigh.

"I'd murder that womanchild, but that would be counterproductive, no?"

Still, Weiss had some rage to vent out.

"I guess she went too far, then..." Jaune commented.

"Oh, she did go too far, embarrassing us like that!" Weiss snapped. "And she even has the gall to be unapologetic about it! Why can she not act like her age and just - "

"Weiss!"

The angry girl then shot a glare at her blonde companion, who was giving her a still and serious look in return.

"We're going to practice," he then said. "We'll practice somewhere quiet, somewhere that doesn't have a lot of people. Still, I have to remind you: We're bound to deal with people like Lucia every now and then, and I'm sure that your upbringing makes you no stranger to people like her, but we have to keep calm and be mature when dealing with them, okay?"

Weiss kept her glare up, but still, she took a deep breath and maintained eye contact.

"We're gonna get the things we need to bring now," Jaune continued. "Got it?"

She nodded, and then she walked forward, wanting to cool off as soon as possible.

Indeed, her short temper was annoying her. And so much for her attempt at helping Jaune with the business side of their work...

Well, for now, she would try to relax with music. Up until now, today had been a very stressful day for her, and with that, she really felt the need for relaxation.

* * *

"Here."

"Thanks."

Jaune bought Weiss a hat, one meant to cover her head from the brightening sun.

It wasn't summer yet, and the spring morning was bringing a breeze in, but the Atlas-born girl accepted the hat, not wanting to risk getting easily sunburnt.

As for where they currently were, they were near a beach of the coastal city called Abalone. They walked to a part which was far from the manmade buildings, giving Weiss more peace as she felt the softness of the sand and the smell of the sea. The sand that managed to get into her footwear wasn't a major irritation, too.

"Better not forget to deal with the laundry," Jaune offhandedly reminded as he sat on a rock.

"We can deal with that later," Weiss replied as she also sat on a rock. "We still have money, right?"

"Of course," he answered as he propped his guitar up and randomly made some sounds with it.

"I also hope that you have enough for your date with Blake," the wandering singer added.

"Don't worry about that," the guitarist deflected, playing a chain of chords now. "As for you, you need to relax."

Weiss raised an eyebrow at that.

"How quick..."

"What do you mean, Weiss?"

"Well, considering how we've been today...you know..."

"Oh..."

And he paused his strumming.

"I guess I'm quick to forgive, then."

And then he continued playing sounds with his guitar.

Weiss felt like he had some hidden meaning beneath his expression again, but learning from recent interactions had her holding back.

So instead, she sang whatever came to her mind.

After a while, Jaune paused.

"You need to work the rhymes better, Weiss," he told her.

"I'm trying to relax, Jaune," she deadpanned. "And I'm sure that you're doing the same, too, judging from the strange sounds that you're making with your guitar."

"Hm. Fair point, I guess."

And so, they went on with their spontaneous and awkward performance.

Weiss did remember the need to practice for that performance at the inn, but she considered asking the innkeeper about what songs to play first. Sure, Lucia could be a womanchild, but the relaxation made thinking easier for Weiss, as it involved diverting her attention towards things that held more worth than stooping down to an immature person's level.

"Thanks, Jaune," she said after some time.

"No problem, Weiss," he replied.

And up until noontime, they relaxed with music and nature some more.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** After a long while of not updating, I'm back with, well, an update, yo! I've had some ease thinking about future events for this fanfic, especially after recent canon updates, but trying to get back into the groove of writing this has been difficult, especially considering my time management/activity juggling skills lately. But unlike how I did with a certain original multi-chapter story of mine, I don't think I'll be backing down from this so easily, as I have more easily reachable feedback sources now (Also, thank you very much, PA Forum peeps~).

Also, supporting OC, yo. Expect more of them, too.

Now, I'd like to say this again: Honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	9. Refreshing Rain

"Welcome to the Pearly Shores Inn! Oh, it's our dear hired musicians!"

"Musicians!? Do they do polka? Do they do rock? What music can they do? I hope they can go cute and then WILD!"

Lucia the innkeeper and some orange-haired girl were the first people whom Weiss and Jaune noticed upon entering the building and ringing the door chime. The two loud females also drew attention from the customers in the pub, and with that was an indirect attraction of attention to the two wandering musicians.

"Ma'am Lucia."

"Nora."

The attention from the crowd didn't hold for long, though, mostly thanks to Blake and a boy in green. Weiss gave those two sane people a nod and a smile because of that.

Still, it was time to deal with the womanchild of an innkeeper again, alright. That, and there seemed to be another one, but with less difference between physical age and mental age.

"Thank you very much for your sanity," Weiss told those two stoic youths.

"I'm older than all of you, whippersnappers!" Lucia complained, but looks from Blake and some employees in the vicinity kept her noise down to muttering.

"Ma'am, what are our hired musicians supposed to do?" Blake then asked, arms crossed.

"Entertain the crowd," the grumpy womanchild answered.

"Entertain _how_?"

"Just don't get the Grimm coming! And you're starting tonight! And you can go play those loud rock songs or whatever, too! Again, just don't get the Grimm coming!"

"ROOOOOOOOOOOCK!" the orange-haired girl named Nora suddenly shouted, followed by showing a very wide and very shameless grin.

"Nora..." the boy in green groaned. "Sorry..." he added, awkwardly laughing while sharply aiming his pink eyes at Nora's blue ones.

"You know what, I'll show lovely Nora the ropes for now," Lucia said, taking the brightened Nora by the arm and into the corridor of inn rooms. "Later, brats!" she added, followed by sticking her tongue out.

And with that, the door was shut, leaving the pub with the usual level of chatter and noise. There were looks directed at the commotion which the innkeeper caused, but they were few, like such a thing was commonplace in the Pearly Shores Inn. That, and a lot of the customers were sending grins while they sent glances, too.

As for how Weiss felt about what just happened, well, she felt like she was in a surreal scene, so much that she had a hard time forming words for a while. After all, such chaos being treated like normality didn't really sit well with the former Schnee heiress.

"We're really really sorry, Ma'am, Sir," a dark-skinned man entered the conversation, a resigned smile on his face as he stood behind a bar counter. "It's hard to get her to stop being like that."

"It's okay," the former heiress replied, blinking while recalling certain lessons as well. "We just need a change of perspective."

Despite how stiff the Schnees can get, they didn't get to where they currently are without sharpness of mind. Weiss knew that, and the experiences she had just gone through made her remember that.

Now, Weiss wasn't planning on burning bridges with Lucia. Considering how busy the inn was, the elderly innkeeper certainly kept going not because of nothing.

"Did she even listen back there...?" Blake grumbled. "How do you even manage to handle her, Crag?"

"Well, you listen and understand..." Crag the bartender answered, sucking in a breath as he looked up for a few moments, "...and you go along. And hey, I know it's tough, especially for people who met her recently."

That was a statement which Weiss found hard to accept, but still...perhaps looking through the perspective of a more experienced inn worker would be a good idea...

"You thinking of something, Weiss?" Jaune suddenly asked, curious expression on his face.

"I'd like us to make this venture a very productive one, Jaune," Weiss answered, hand on her chin as she thought. "And considering the life I lived before..."

She then shot a growing smile of confidence at her blonde companion.

"...You should leave this to me."

* * *

"Okay...I will be honest...I am less prepared for this than I thought."

"I did say that it's an acquired taste, right, Miss Weiss?"

The former heiress let out a rough sigh, hands itching to take off the remaining attached earphone on her.

Sure, Remnant needed some sweetness and lightness, considering how rough it was to live in a world where negativity functions as monster magnets. Melancholy music existed, yes, considering how humans needed an outlet lest they attract Grimm more easily, but still, the fires of hope needed to stay lit and bright, and in the course of humanity's efforts towards such, rock music rose to be one of the most - if not _the_ most - powerful genres of music in Remnant. Double-edged it may be, considering how intense it can work on either side of the moral spectrum, but its surviving popularity serves as a testament to its power.

And now, Weiss, who had begun thinking about why rock music still remained popular...Well, Weiss really wanted to listen to rock music more than...more than...

"I would like some words with the producers of this song," the former heiress said with a hard look on her face, earphones now totally removed and scroll now put away. "I am not a dumb citizen with a shallow perspective, and I am most certainly not like that womanchild over there!"

"DID SOMEBODY JUST INSULT ME AND THE AWESOME CUTENESS THAT IS RAINBOW SWEETIES?" sounded the innkeeper's loud voice as she opened the door to the inn corridors with a bloodthirsty look on her face.

"WHAT'S RAINBOW SWEETIES?" shouted Nora, popping her curious face out behind Lucia.

"Oh, my dear Nora, Rainbow Sweeties are the sweetest among the sweetest musicians in Remnant!"

And then the innkeeper went back to the inn corridor with her new apprentice, shutting the door as the pub went on with its usual chatter, seeming like nothing really significant happened there. Laughter sounded along with the chatter, too.

Still, Weiss scoffed. The bartender, Crag, just chuckled, though, making the wandering singer grumble. Jaune had a resigned smile while he leaned on the bar counter, and as for Blake, she was showing the ropes to Ren, the boy in green who accompanied Nora. And speaking of the boy in green, he was also the subject of some pity and even awe from Weiss, as said boy had mentioned how he grew up with the hyperactive girl.

Now, in her attempts at trying to earn the favor of the innkeeper while earning the favor of the audience, Weiss tried to know the innkeeper's favorite music as well.

And so, she borrowed a scroll from Crag, who stored copies of said music for hired musicians to listen to, and then she took some time to listen to "Flower Power," a song which the bartender called "the most popular song of Rainbow Sweeties, a group of girls from who have debuted and gained popularity lately."

At first, Weiss was hesitant. "Rainbow Sweeties" sounded somewhat overdone for a popular musician group's name, see. Still, she shook her head and went to listen to the song, as she hadn't heard what they could actually do in terms of music.

What burst into her ears was something which she described as too sweet...and that description was the most merciful that she could give to the music of Rainbow Sweeties. Further ranting would stress her out, and she didn't have time for that.

"Do I have to break my spine to cater to that womanchild's whims?" Weiss growled, putting one arm on the bar counter as she questioned the bartender.

"Miss Weiss," Crag answered, "I do understand and admire your efforts toward forming a friendship with us workers of the Pearly Shores Inn, but you don't need to force yourself. She may not seem like it, but Madam Lucia understands that, too."

"Really?" the former heiress answered, wry smile on her face.

"Really," the dark-skinned man said, reaching for bottles of what seemed to be fruit juices. "Just give her a chance."

"Well, I find that very difficult to do, then."

"She just met you, after all," replied the bartender, who was now mixing some juices. "She usually whips out her typical crazy attitude at that point, and the more she gets to know you, the more she'll make adjustments. Trust me, she tries."

"So...we can play what we want as long as we don't cause trouble, then?" Jaune entered.

"Yeah." And Crag's mixed drinks were served in glasses with ice cubes. "To be more clear about what Madam Lucia said: Don't be too negative. I do recommend taking a page from Madam Lucia's favorite musicians - " And then Weiss snorted at that, considering how Weiss found it stupid to call those fools musicians, " - if you're really insistent on getting along with her, though. You don't need to bend too much to make friends, you know."

"Okay...so what do you think, Weiss?" Jaune then said to his singer companion, who had her temple on the bar counter, face in front of a filled glass which Crag had put down.

Again, Weiss realized how her short temper had blown up. While she floated after drowning in frustration, she noticed how hypocritical she was being again. She wanted to be of better help to the people of Remnant, and then here she was, being stiff and intolerant.

Maybe she wasn't trying to understand the people hard enough?

"From what Kingdom is that Rainbow Sweeties group?" Weiss tiredly asked.

"Mistral," Crag immediately answered. "Groups like Rainbow Sweeties are becoming popular there lately, too."

At that, the former heiress groaned. She did want to understand them, but a part of her didn't really like how overly sweet their sort of music was. It just felt really off in a world like Remnant. That, and she expected more from Mistral.

Maybe their fans just want an easy way out, then? That seemed to make more sense, considering how she noticed that she herself was currently longing for such a way very much.

"Alright, fine..." she grumbled, "I'll draw inspiration from them...but I won't try to copy them. That would be disastrous in so many levels."

"Now that's better," Crag expressed. "And hey, would you two like some drinks?" he offered, extending his arms to show the two iced glasses of mixed fruit juices. "I call it Craggy Fruit...and you're free to mock the pun."

"Alright...and the pun's not so bad, considering your attitude."

"Thank you, Sir Crag."

"Just Crag's fine. And thank you and you're welcome as well."

The wandering musician duo nodded, and then they took sips from their respective glasses.

"Hm...not bad," Weiss praised with a small smile. "The sweetness is just right. Your mixture certainly deserves its name."

 _"And Yang should take some lessons from Crag,"_ Weiss mentally added.

"Thank you, Miss Weiss."

"Just Weiss is fine."

"Alright, then, Weiss."

And so, Weiss took some sips from her drink again, her plan continuing to form as she considered her options for the upcoming night performance. They'll have to go with songs they've practiced most before, as she and Jaune had no time for practicing a new song, let alone a set of those. Going with the same arrangements didn't feel like a good idea, though, even with a different audience, as that felt like stifling their creativity and all. She and Jaune needed some variety, and, going by Lucia's taste, more energy...

Hmm...perhaps those two would be able to work as support musicians...

"Jaune."

"Yeah, Weiss?"

"We'll need some support musicians again. There's not enough time for practicing new songs, and I consider variety essential in our work."

"Hmm...Well then, who do you have in mind?"

"I think that Nora girl would be suitable. We'll bring her friend, Ren, along as well."

"You sure about that? I mean, they're just new here and all, you know?"

"I am aware of that, yes...though they seem to have experience with improvisation."

"We need to talk with them about it, then."

"Indeed. Let's go, then."

* * *

"So you want Nora and I to be support band members while the two of you perform?"

"Yes, Ren. Jaune has his stringed instrument, while I provide the vocals. We are going to perform some songs which we have practiced a lot as a duo before, as we have no time for practicing new songs today, but we find variety essential, hence our offer to you and your friend."

"Well, as long as we get some compensation, then."

"Of course. We'll make sure to give you two a fair share."

"Yay! Renny's gonna make some sweet music with me!"

Weiss almost fell in surprise and irritation when she suddenly heard Nora say "sweet music," but the former heiress didn't let that stop her from trying to ask for assistance.

"You're gonna do some Rainbow Sweeties songs?" Lucia popped up, giving a hopeful look through her stretched and wrinkled face.

"No," Weiss bluntly replied, "Unless they have a song that has an ounce of actual seriousness in it. And even if we would, we don't have enough time to practice because of how much preparation time you allotted for us."

"Pff, what a party pooper..." the womanchild scoffed, "Anyway, whether you'll play it or not, maybe their Rainy Song, 'Refreshing Rain,' would suit your tastes... _hopefully!_ "

Weiss kept her bored look up in the face of that angrily emphasized "hopefully." Still, she would give that recommendation a chance. Maybe it will lead to a friendship, or maybe it will not lead to a friendship.

Well, the bottom line is that Weiss would make sure to have a decent relationship with the innkeeper before they left for another stage. Having anything less would be bad for business.

"Scroll and earphones, please, then," the singer asked. "I'd like to do some deep listening on that one recommendation of yours. Childish you may be, but I shall give you a chance for the sake of good business."

Instincts then caused Weiss to bend backward, avoiding facial contact with a scroll which Lucia suddenly whipped out and towards the hired musician.

At that point, Weiss just let out a sigh and took the scroll, which also had the earphones she asked for, and went to play "Refreshing Rain."

The start of the song was decent, which featured the sound of rain. It brought both relaxation and wistfulness to Weiss's mind, and the slow instrumental introduction that built up further led to the former heiress nodding with caught interest.

Then, in unison, four female voices crooned, creating a sound which sounded more profound to Weiss when compared to their most popular hit. The wandering singer then wondered about why they didn't make more songs like this. Then, for a while, Weiss thought about the possibility of them thinking that Remnant needed something new, along with a thought about some things not needing change.

Anyway, Weiss continued listening. The voices were beginning to sing individually, the others backing the leads with impressive timing. The lyrics had a sense of childishness and naivete, but that was more subdued compared to the other song she listened to. It made her think of people who wanted to forget pain so easily, something that even she herself had been some times before.

Then, she noticed how the song was the first track in its mini album's tracklist. _"How cunning,"_ she thought, as she had a hard time denying how profound the song was turning. Along with that, she closed her eyes to ignore Lucia's smirk while she quietly tried to sing along with the resonating refrain, a refrain which had strengthened sounds and a more mature feel.

Perhaps she needed to know deeper about what she had to deal with before she could even say that she knew what to do in order to help. Weiss, although she knew that she was still far away from being her ideal self, often thought that she knew how to deal with her problems well.

And then there were the people who, although they felt intrusive at times, ended up being more helpful than they seemed. Winter, Jaune...and maybe even her own father...were part of those people...

There was a little pain in her chest when Weiss thought about how she was trying to live her life, but she then thought about using that stubbornness to head to a different and, hopefully, better direction. Remnant needed better help from her.

And while she thought that, the next song started, returning to more of the childishness which Weiss found in Rainbow Sweeties.

The former heiress sighed as she removed the earphones from her ears, feeling ambivalence at the surprisingly complex music skills of her current employer's favorite musicians...and yes, she would call them musicians now...musicians who have potential, but need more development.

Hmm...perhaps she should send them a message sometime...

"I believe I noticed enjoyment in your face, my dear Weiss..."

Oh, and ignoring that smirking innkeeper didn't last forever.

"Yes, I enjoyed that song," Weiss admitted, "But they still have a long way to go."

"Just like you?" Lucia asked with an annoyingly wide grin.

"Yes..." Weiss sighed, "Just like me..."

And then the elderly innkeeper squealed, doing a jig while chanting "One of us!"

Meanwhile, Jaune chuckled.

"Sounds like you found a good one, huh?" he said as he took the scroll and earphones, attaching the latter to his own ears while changing the track that was playing in the former.

Weiss sighed again, and then she stretched an arm to send a flicking finger to her partner's forehead...

"Ugh..."

But before that, she took note of their actual height difference plus the volume of the audience who would see what she was going to do...which was standing on her toes and sending that flicking finger to her tall partner's forehead.

Yes, Weiss was so into rubbing her little moments of superiority into Jaune, so much that she had probably made herself look stupider already because of it.

"Weiss...what are you doing?"

"Nothing," she told the blonde guitarist, blushing while looking away with a frown and crossed arms.

"Uhh..."

"Just get Ren and Nora already," she shot with a glare. "Time's running, and we need to practice."

Still, the Arc had the guts to chuckle before going off with an affirmative response.

Again, Weiss sighed, but still, she and her pride wouldn't let her stray from doing her job well.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yo there. It's been a while, and I'm back with this new chapter of _Wandering Weiss_. Though my more sluggish progress with this doesn't give me as much confidence in the quality of this chapter, I still want to ask for honest constructive feedback. I wanna be a better writer, yo!

Oh, and hey, I guess you can say that I have some worldbuilding in here. I don't think it's particularly big if you think about it with the canon RWBY plot as context, though, but with the premise of this story, I think that it's something that should get more focus. That, and my attempts at worldbuilding are stuff which I really really want to get feedback on, as I consider worldbuilding and constructing settings as weak spots of mine when it comes to writing stories.

As for what's next, well, I don't think I can promise more regular updates very well, but I guess it would be a better idea for me to go more regular again, considering my desire towards becoming a better writer...but of course, I gotta care for myself better, especially while dealing with responsibilities like school and chores. And I do have a plot in mind, but I do feel like a wanderer with it as well, so yeah...I appreciate patient readers.

Of course, honest and constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


	10. Confidence

"So, do you have any instruments with you?"

"We have a triangle."

"And a tambourine!"

"Hmm...good enough, then. We'll certainly do better with some percussion."

Weiss also found the instruments fitting with their players, considering what she managed to gather from her observations on Ren and Nora. The boy in green seemed to be more fitting in silence plus occasional but well-timed strikes, while the short girl with a strong presence of pink would probably explode with noise if not allowed to rhythmically shake her energy out.

"Still, we'll need to make sure that we don't make too much noise, considering where and how we'll practice," Jaune reminded.

And that got a groan out of Weiss.

Really, unlike their previous employers, that womanchild had presented a clear lack of concern regarding decent space for hired performers to practice in. Well, that was what Weiss thought when she met Lucia's annoying and tactless disposition again upon asking the older woman about worthwhile practice spots, but eventually, the former heiress had to remind herself about not being surprised at such a thing, considering that she was just a wandering performer with the stage name Wandering Weiss, not the famed singer Weiss Schnee. Along with that, it wasn't the first time she had to practice outside a quiet and private studio, but as much as she hated to admit it, practicing outside a setup she was so used to made her more nervous than she liked. Yes, she understood those things, but she still felt irritation. She didn't want to show off what they had so soon in very open spaces, nor did she want to disturb inn guests. And to top it all off, there was their time limit, leaving Weiss with little time to look for better practice spaces.

Still, with a deep breath, Weiss fought against her rigidity and shifted her mindset towards the possible benefits of showing off her and her companions' skills out in the open through their rehearsals. With how they got job offers, one could say that the streets were filled with more potential employers than they thought, and the former heiress was going to make sure that they would draw good attention. No upturned hats or open instrument cases, of course, as they aimed for certain and chunky pay, and begging for bits and pieces remained the last thing that they would do.

"Let's go," Weiss called. "Let's stay on one spot, and then go to another once we're done with one song. We have less than six hours, which can bring more results than we think as long as we give it our all."

Then, with her light blue eyes, she turned to meet the eyes of her bandmates: Ren's calm and light pink, Nora's energetic and sky blue, and Jaune's determined and deep blue.

"Do you mind if I give you directions while we practice and perform?" the former heiress asked, holding herself back from being taken by lust for control.

"Maybe it would be a good idea if I help you out with that," the blonde guitarist answered.

"Well, the two of you are pretty much our superiors in this case," replied the boy with black and a little pink hair.

"Lead the way, Weissy and Jaune-Jaune!" the orange-haired girl agreed, earning a chuckle from the latter and a suppressed eye twitch from the former.

Yes, the odd nicknames were one among many things to get used to...

Still, Weiss quickly got her mind back on track. The streets were now filled with more people than the previous hours, making the smell and sound of the sea and its waves more noticeable because of the increase of people who were nearer to the seaside. The sun shone down upon them even brighter, too. As for their cover against the brightening sun, only Jaune wore no head accessory, while Weiss wore her sun hat, and Ren and Nora with their Pearly Shores Inn workers' bandanas.

Thinking about their appearance then sparked the former heiress's curiosity. Furthermore, excitement rose within her despite the accompanying nervousness.

And if she were to be honest, Weiss let that Schnee confidence shape her mouth into a grin. And yes, she felt less shame with it in this situation.

Remnant will be meeting a better form of the spirit of one of its most influential families. She was certain about that.

"Jaune, begin."

Fast strumming then begun, easing the vocalist's mind as she remembered the outline of their performance sequence. For a while, she let him play, all while she took some time to look at her percussion-assigned bandmates.

"Ren, strike the triangle every time...that point is reached."

After Weiss pointed that out, Ren struck his triangle during the ends of Jaune's chord-strumming cycles, the resonating high sound causing Weiss to nod with a smile.

Then, when the singer turned to the tambourine wielder, she saw a smiling girl who seemed to be visibly trembling with anticipation.

At that, Weiss kept on smiling, for the song and arrangement that they were practicing seemed likely to sound good with an quick and active rhythm.

"Nora?"

"Yes!?"

The former heiress paused for a short while in surprise at the orange-haired girl's sudden shout, but Weiss then went back to giving her instruction to Nora.

"Shake that tambourine fast, please."

"A-okay, Weissy!"

Of course, first attempts don't usually go great.

"Not too fast, Nora. Slow it down a little."

"Oh! You mean like this?"

"Hmm...that's good. Let's repeat from the top until we smoothly get through that part five consecutive times."

The following affirmatives from her bandmates made Weiss's confidence grow even more. It was a point in her life which she would cherish, too, considering how she had been conditioning her mind for bad surprises in the higher-stakes life that she was living.

And so, they went on with their rehearsal, eventually having Weiss practice her singing.

Early on, her stage-experienced mind blocked out most of the attention from her surroundings as she and her bandmates practiced part by part, extending their length per attempt as they did better and better. And while that length grew, the barriers she set up gradually lowered, all while she began basking in the rays of attention which shone upon her and her bandmates. Even Nora's random whoops of enjoyment fazed Weiss less, and although slip-ups and interruptions (which included some listeners who thought that they were begging for spare change) caused her to sigh and groan at times, giving up was the last thing that she would do.

With that, Wandering Weiss and her bandmates ended up getting an audience who gave them a round of applause after reaching the end of their practice for one song. Sure, it was somewhat surprising, but the former heiress still couldn't help preening and curtsying in front of all the praise.

"Don't get cocky, Ice Queen~"

She almost tried to reach out and flick Jaune's forehead again, but seeing him standing at his full height made her feel some embarrassment-induced stiffness, which she quickly hid with a deep breath and a bright smile.

Inside her mind, though, she wondered about how she never noticed their full height difference...

"And we still have a few more songs to practice," Weiss then heard the blonde guitarist say out loud.

Seeing the expectant faces in the crowd around them caused Weiss to stiffen some more. A scramble of thoughts happened, with the question about the current time being pushed away by questions about whether her appearance and performance seemed considerably embarrassing, followed by the urge to look at her bandmates, which she acted on immediately.

Her growing embarrassment and nervousness were quickly reined in when she saw Ren's small smile, Nora's wide grin, and Jaune's challenging smirk. All three looks were aimed at her, and Weiss felt her Schnee pride being provoked by those looks.

So, they wanted a captivating rehearsal?

"This will take some time, as we are rehearsing, but I assure you: It will be beautiful."

Well, she was sure that she can lead them to that.

* * *

"So, for tonight's performance, I decided to have another go at Rookie Roulette recently, and the bunch I managed to hire sure has me feeling mixed emotions!"

And while Weiss was filtering Lucia's electronically amplified voice into harmless background noise, the wandering singer was steadying her breathing. As for her bandmates, the boys looked like they were doing the same, while Nora's narrowed eyes and exposed grin had the orange-haired girl doing the most prominent show of emotions among them.

And to be honest, Nora's expression creeped Weiss out a little...

Anyway, rehearsal time may have been one fun time, but that time also had them keeping themselves under better control. Despite having to deal with the difficulty of keeping her short temper in check, getting laughed at by their audience during rehearsal was a response which counted as a very important guide to Weiss.

Sure, she would let those moments slide. They were rehearsing at that time, after all.

But during the main event? Well, she would make sure to put some more control in, leaving no room for embarrassing mistakes.

Luckily, her bandmates were easy to get along with. Even Nora managed to be surprisingly cooperative, and it particularly showed in her chemistry with Ren.

As for Jaune, Weiss would be lying if she said that she knew everything about him, but so far, he had earned a certain level of trust from her. Hopefully, they would get along better in the future.

"And now, assisted by new staff members Ren and Nora: Jaune Crescent and Wandering Weiss!"

At that point, Weiss had also began wondering about how many times her blonde partner had even been introduced with at least his stage name during past performances. As far as she remembered, it was always her who was introduced with a name, while Jaune was in the background, being the overlooked instrumentalist.

Looking at Jaune, Weiss saw him having an awkward smile on his face as the four of them walked onto the small and spotlit stage in the pub.

Well, whatever the deal was there, it would be better to know at a later time, not during a time when their attention should be on pleasing the audience with the best of their abilities.

Now, as Weiss took a deep breath, Jaune did three taps on his guitar.

As the former heiress opened her eyes, the strumming began.

Familiar faces then entered her sight. Blake, Lucia, and Crag. Following them were the rest of the audience, whose faces then began turning into a mish-mash of features in her vision as her ears caught the sound of Ren's triangle.

It often felt like that for her when she tried to put her all into singing. Emphasizing her presence on stage and to the audience with eye contact and such only took choice moments, while the rest were her efforts at controlling her voice and her movement.

And if there was something in the act of singing which she considered the most difficult, it was keeping in line with the rhythm. After all, recorded sounds were one thing, while live performances were another. And even though she managed to get into the flow of the song as Nora accompanied the latter half of the instrumental intro, Weiss felt some sweat as she shot a few glances at the audience and closed her eyes for more balance. Even with practice, the chance of failure, although smaller, was still there, which meant that it would do no good if she didn't keep herself in line.

And speaking of which, Weiss noticed herself doing ad-libs. They felt weird to her, but at the same time, they felt fitting. The differences in their song's current arrangement were still things that she was trying to get used to, and it caused annoyance in her.

Still, she won't give up.

And hey, some mistakes can actually be blessings in disguise.

For example, one part which caused her eyes to momentarily widen in worry then had her hearing a loud whoop from the audience.

"You go, girl!"

It was the somewhat gargly voice of Lucia the innkeeper, and said innkeeper had her hands in the air...and most of the other pub patrons were going along with the boisterous old woman.

Weiss couldn't help smiling at that.

Then, she looked behind her, hearing her bandmates ad-libbing as well.

At that moment, Ren and Nora had rushed past the wandering singer, doing some nimble dances which they could do even while playing their percussion instruments. As for Jaune, his plucking and strumming switched from careful to wild and vice-versa, eyes on his hands and the strings as he played his part in the instrumental interlude.

Along with the maintenance of her smile, those sights then drew something out of the former heiress.

"Found something beautiful?"

She asked that with certainty in the clarity of her voice. The confidence which was building up within her showed, and even the sudden silence of her bandmates' instruments didn't faze her.

And as expected, an enthusiastic "Yeah!" was sent, turning Weiss's smile into a grin. The crowd wasn't as big as the audiences she had usually faced back when she was a Schnee, but this crowd made her way happier than what she had expected.

"Let's end this beginning, then," she then said.

Then, with a snap of her fingers, her bandmates rolled with their instruments in preparation for the final chorus.

There was some fear about losing her voice again, but it was little compared to her confidence. The arrangement wasn't really as hard and loud as the one she went along with at Junior's nightclub, and compared to that, this performance was much more manageable.

And by the time the song ended, a round of applause sounded all around her and her bandmates. Weiss's eyes were closed as she let her bandmates do the instrumental outro, and she smiled and curtseyed as a round of applause and a bunch of whoops and whistles sounded.

As she curtseyed, though, well, she felt a little shaky as she remembered that it was just the beginning. The feeling of embarrassment, of probably having taken too much credit, built up within her, and she took a deep breath to clear her mind.

"Hey, that was just the beginning~" she heard Jaune say when the applause quieted down, which was followed by a chord which Ren and Nora picked up on with their percussion. Applause sounded again, hooking Weiss's attention.

Weiss then noticed her somewhat dazed self missing some measures, so she took another deep breath, all while her bandmates nodded at her and swung their hands harder.

Certainly, this gig with a few songs would lead to a beautiful ending.

* * *

"Although I honestly feel sad about saying this...That's all for tonight, folks!"

Weiss then noticed herself breathing out a long intake of air when the final applause of the night sounded.

And while Lucia sent orders to her bandana-and-apron-wearing employees right after signaling the end of the gig, Weiss turned to walk away with her bandmates.

Then, the world around her suddenly seemed to tilt out of balance.

"Whoa there!"

Blinking, the former heiress then realized that she had almost hit the floor after losing balance. She felt an arm supporting her back as well, and she turned to the person who caught her.

Weiss met blue eyes, blonde hair, and a small grin.

The face which she was looking at was something which she would call goofy and even annoying, but at the same time, there was a strange feeling building up inside her.

She'd rather not think of that further, though. Being like _that_ with Jaune Arc was something which she considered a pipe dream, especially since she had more important things to deal with first.

That, and being in such a position did not sit very well with her pride.

"Please let go of me," Weiss then asked with a flat tone, also hoping that the heating blush on her face would go away already.

And then she hit the floor.

"Whoops," Jaune expressed.

"I should have rephrased that..." the former heiress grumbled, regretting that request as she sat up and dusted herself.

Weiss also ignored Nora's bursting laughter - which was cut off with Ren's help - as she stood up, entered the inn corridors, and faced her bandmates.

"Okay..." she started, "I will admit that the reception during this night was overwhelming, as you have observed."

And then she sent some pointed but short looks at the two offenders, Jaune and Nora, who were wearing mischievous smiles, smiles which they failed to hide well.

"Such an experience is new to me," she continued, mentally reminding herself to not mention significant details about her history with the Schnee Family, "And although it had me dazed, I am glad that we have reached such a point. Thank you very much for your support, then, especially to you two, Ren and Nora. We couldn't have done it without your help as well."

"You're welcome," the black-haired boy nodded with a small smile.

"No problem, Weissy!" the orange-haired girl declared with a thumbs-up, right before rushing to the white-haired girl's side and placing an arm on her shoulder. "But does this mean that we won't be seeing each other again? Like, Renny and I won't be here in this inn forever, too, 'cause we'll be going to Beacon, and - "

"Nora."

"Oh, sorry, Renny. But yeah, I'll miss you and Jaune-Jaune, Weissy..."

And although she seemed somewhat obnoxious, Nora's sad expression had Weiss feeling sympathy. They were fun to be with, but they had to part ways eventually. Their respective paths were different, after all.

Still, Wandering Weiss would miss Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

And so, the former heiress hugged the energetic tambourine player.

"I'll miss you and Ren as well, Nora..." she said.

Nora wrapped her arms tighter as well, doing an exaggerated sob which was funny enough to jerk a little laugh and some little teardrops from Weiss, things which she quickly tried to hold back out of habit.

"Renny, Jaune-Jaune, group hug!" the tambourine player also yelled before going back to her overdramatic crying.

And while the two boys went to form a group hug with the two girls, the wandering singer barely managed to keep her laughter back into her trembling body, but the tears still managed to stream out of her eyes.

Really, it was like she was living a childhood dream she once thought crushed.

"You're crying, Weissy..." Nora pointed out.

"I'm not crying..." Weiss tried to deny, pulling an arm out of Nora's embrace to wipe her eyes, "This place is just a dusty hole..."

"Oh, I know you'll miss us...Here's a tighter hug, then!"

"Nora..." Ren called again as his childhood friend increased her force and continued her noise. Weiss's laughter and tears were held back better now, but that was in exchange for a lack of air in her lungs.

"Uh...can I go see Blake for a bit?" Jaune then asked.

And as the ravenette and her date with Jaune were mentioned, Nora loosened her grip, much to Weiss's relief. After that, Weiss looked around for Blake. The wandering singer then found Jaune's upcoming date partner standing near the door, looking away with thinly disguised nervousness while crossing her arms and leaning on a wall.

"Don't worry, Renny and I know how to be bros," Nora answered, giving a thumbs up, "But we'll miss you more, Jaune-Jaune! Send us photos from your date, okay?"

"Uhh..."

"I don't think Jaune's the type to do that, Nora," Ren noted, "Let alone Blake."

"Well, I'm gonna have to give some new friends some fun lessons on being free, then!" the energetic girl declared.

"Please don't," Ren sighed. "We still need to earn enough for our supplies for Beacon, Nora."

"Aww..." Nora whined, pouting and walking away with a forward slouch. "Fine...Money doesn't come from trees, and Grimm don't bleed money, after all...but I wish they did..."

"Okay...working with you two has been a great time," Ren then told Weiss and Jaune with a quick bow, "But I have to watch over Nora, so I would like to apologize for cutting this conversation short."

"That...is understandable," the former heiress replied, crossing her arms as she noticed the short and orange-haired girl snatching a broom from a passing worker and using it to do rhythmic but forceful broom sweeps while shaking her tambourine along. "You should go keep her from causing too much trouble. And thank you very much for your support. I shall make sure to remind our employer about your added pay as well."

"You're welcome and thank you very much," Ren responded, followed by rushing over to his miffed childhood friend.

With that, Weiss and Jaune exchanged looks.

"Are you going to go on that date with Blake tonight?" the wandering singer asked.

The blonde guitarist then turned to the mentioned girl, meeting eyes with her and sending nods to each other. Then, while Blake looked on with a smile that clearly showed anticipation, Jaune turned to meet eyes with Weiss.

"Yeah," he ascertained with a nod and a growing smile.

"Well, don't get in trouble, okay?" Weiss told him with amusement. Some hope for reduced snark after that date grew within the former heiress as well.

"Alright, Mom~" he bantered before turning and walking away with a spring in his step.

Speaking of which, maybe Jaune's snark would stay the same, or maybe it would even grow into a different and more annoying form. Anyway, Weiss considered that date a good reward for her guitarist partner.

Now, maybe a midnight meal with some new friends would be good? Their time together won't be long, after all.

"Wandering Weiss!"

And then Weiss fell over, no arms keeping her from hitting the floor this time.

"Ugh! Who dares...Oh, it's just you."

"Man, you sure are less ladylike than you seem!" said the grinning innkeeper who wore an apron and a long skirt. She was also bent forward, hands on her waist, one of which was immediately offered to the younger female.

"You are certainly one to talk there," Weiss shot with a shake of her head. Still, she took the offered hand, getting herself pulled up into standing position. "That aside, I am glad that you gave us a chance tonight."

"And I'm glad that you slayed that chance, girl!" the older female declared with a thumbs-up.

For a while, Weiss stared and blinked at the dissonance between Lucia's words and body language, but then she shook her head, ridding herself of the confusion as she thought about the informal language of the youth. Not like she wasn't familiar with that, being young herself, but her strict and formal upbringing made such language sound off-putting to her.

Anyway, the former heiress managed to get a sense of genuine gratitude from the innkeeper.

"Thank you very much...Ma'am."

Still, it was hard for Weiss to be formal with Lucia.

"Aw, no need to be so formal!" the innkeeper insisted, putting an arm on the singer's shoulder and pulling her in. "Really, I'll miss you...and I'm worried about whether or not what I can pay you would be enough..."

Meanwhile, Weiss was feeling dazed by this development. It reminded her of her years with the darker side of her family, and although her Schnee pride preened, her rebellious side felt sickened.

Honestly, Weiss felt like she was taking advantage of her, like how her father did with the faunus, among other unfortunate people. Rivaling that was how her parents' relationship begun and turned out, too.

"Just ensure that you do not run out of money for your business and other important things, Ma'am," the former heiress told the elderly innkeeper. Along with that, Weiss also felt herself slowly slouching forward in shame that she didn't want to make more obvious. She felt like she was taking too much already, and she almost asked Lucia to pretty much build a studio for hired performers and their practice sessions.

Anyway, there was silence for a while.

Weiss didn't dare look up during that silence.

"Well, that's a nicer balance of confidence and humility you got there!" Lucia then commented, sending a slap to the surprised Weiss's back before pulling her back to her side again. "I didn't expect that from someone who looks like a runaway princess!"

The former heiress stiffened at that comment.

Did Lucia recognize who she really was?

"Oh wait, you're really a runaway princess?"

Weiss tried to relax and regulate her breathing in an attempt to not dig herself a deeper hole. She could feel what was probably a stare from the womanchild, but she kept on trying to put more of her consciousness into controlling her breathing.

"But...eh, jumping with joy because of something like that would be really immature, now that I think about it."

Weiss then shifted her consciousness into not exhaling too overtly.

"Well, whoever you're supposed to be, I'm not gonna tattle about it," the innkeeper said, and at that point, Weiss had noticed that Lucia had softened her voice. "I'd be adding fuel to the fire that'd go pulling in the Grimm if I did."

The former heiress, removing the arm on her shoulder, then turned a serious look towards the innkeeper.

"Do you truly promise that?" Weiss asked.

"I don't like your dislike for Rainbow Sweeties," Lucia answered with a gentle smile, "But I hate throwing people to the Grimm just because of something as small as that."

"I still worry about your immaturity, honestly," the former heiress admitted.

"Eh, I know I overdo that attitude at times," the elderly innkeeper responded, "But hey, my family - these employees I also call my sons and daughters...well, they'll keep me in line. They have better memory than me, you know."

And for a while, Weiss took that response with some thoughtful silence. At this point, Lucia's face wasn't stretched into some overdone attempt at being naturally youthful, and it did give Weiss some more calmness.

Hmm...maybe she misjudged Lucia...

"Alright, then," Weiss nodded.

Then, Lucia's smile grew into a warmer smile, which she accompanied with outstretched arms that wrapped around Weiss.

"Thank you very much for giving this old lady a chance," she said. "And hey, don't forget your pay. I better remind those two cute helpers of yours, too..."

Meanwhile, Weiss was struck speechless. She had just realized that she hadn't been feeling such warm hugs, let alone affection, very frequently. A part of her felt like there was something unnatural with how easily and frequently she received genuine affection lately, but still, she felt like she had found a precious treasure, one more precious than the riches that the Schnee Family and their company hoarded.

Indeed, those thoughts added to the push of her streaming tears. She wasn't laughing, but she was smiling again, smiling with closed eyes, smiling like she had just found and recovered a crushed and lost childhood dream.

Weiss wished that her mother would take lessons from Lucia, too.

"It's okay, Weiss. You can cry."

And then she cried some more, letting the hitches of her breath sound a little more loudly.

"Would you like some space, Weiss? I can take you to your room, too, if you'd like."

Weiss wordlessly nodded, all while covering her wet eyes with one arm.

Lucia's arm then landed on Weiss's shoulder again, pulling the latter in to the former's side as they searched and went for the room which Weiss and her guitarist companion rented.

Weiss felt the tiredness setting in some more, especially when she fumbled with the room key and had Lucia open the door for her. Her desires then had the bed and sleep in their center, and she got that easily.

The wandering singer then heard the elderly innkeeper singing a lullaby beside her, all while Weiss laid her back on the bed and wrapped herself with the blanket on it.

With that, Wandering Weiss went to sleep, hoping for better days.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, my return with this is real stiff, but it's still alive, yo! Also, I need to work out...

Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter! The Pearly Shores arc continues, and the performance gets covered as well!

Oh, and the ship I've been advertising in this story? Well, that's gonna happen. It'll take a significant amount of time, though.

And update frequency? Well, it'll probably be faster in the next few months, considering how I'm on vacation at that time.

Ah, really...I think I'll be more enthusiastic in terms of talking about this if I work on this more regularly...I've really been slacking off lately, you know? Putting myself around toxic stuff a lot doesn't really help, too...

Anyway, being able to upload this gives me motivation! And again, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated!


	11. Reflection

When Weiss opened her eyes, she found herself wrapped up in her bed's thick blanket, her head pulling into her cocoon of fabric as she shied her eyes away from the shining sun's rays.

But then there was the sweat, which stuck to her clothes and her body as a reminder of the difference in temperature which she had to live with.

Weiss let out a rough sigh, which was followed by a yawn, as she rolled over, sat up, and moved her hands for her hair tie, which had ended up removed and slept on sometime during the night.

By the time she found her hair tie, she then went to stand up and face the mirror in the inn room's small bathroom.

It was at that time and place when Weiss took in how different she looked now.

She remembered how people often praised her for having a very pretty face, even when she didn't have makeup. Weiss honestly preened at that, especially after she had that time of actively wanting to become a Huntress.

But now...it was like she was looking at a different person. The person in the mirror looked like Weiss Schnee, but Weiss Schnee probably wouldn't say, let alone show, that she had a little darkening in her skin or somewhat more noticeable shadows under her eyes.

Still, Weiss thought about the good things which that new and different self got her.

Weiss Schnee would be more likely to call her current companions nuisances, and the current Weiss would agree...well, somewhat.

Wandering Weiss smirked when she remembered how she wasn't scolded for last night's crying.

"How's that, then?" she voiced, smirk still up.

Maybe a lot - if not all - of those who gave praise to her face merely flattered her, wanting to get their hands on the fame which came with her former family's name and all. Weiss Schnee had to deal with that, and Wandering Weiss considered that more difficult compared to her current state of affairs.

Not like she didn't learn anything from her life with the Schnee Family, though...and the thought of that had Weiss frowning a little bit.

And not for the first time, the former heiress hoped that her father wasn't actively hunting her down. She had found no sign yet, and no matter how much she hoped for that absence to continue, the thought of the inevitable still crept in her mind.

Maybe a check on the news circulating within the CCT network would be good?

But hey, why should that matter to her that much now? She had faced her father, stood her ground on her change of path, and got disinherited. A disinheritance should be a death sentence to a Schnee already, considering how prideful they all were.

So, if her father wanted her back, then she wouldn't let him take her back. And besides, compared to the other Schnees, Schnee pride mattered to him a lot more, and wasn't that something to think about, especially when his method of entry into the family were to be taken into account.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss jumped off that train of thought with a smirk. She then thought about how she had gained more loyal companions.

And speaking of companions...one of them just opened the door to the bathroom.

Of course, Weiss turned her head to face Jaune immediately.

What followed was a silence with a strange length.

Really, Weiss found the context weird. There she was, staring at her reflection, diving into the depths of the psychological and philosophical and all such complex things, and then her somewhat dear male companion had opened the door which she had closed, quickly drawing her attention away from what she considered a very personal act.

The former heiress cursed herself in her mind for not locking the door, especially since a corner of her vision had managed to register - even if it was a little bit - the sleeping form of her male companion sprawled on the floor with a pillow while she went to the bathroom. She also considered screaming and slapping the blonde guitarist, but years of trained emotion control held her back, questioning the worth of the retaliatory actions which probably weren't deserved by the probable offender she was facing.

But hey...at least she wasn't caught naked and taking a shower or anything like that.

Still, Jaune Arc had interrupted a very personal -

"I don't know whether I should mock or apologize," he told her, face still mirroring that awkward surprise. "Though I do feel like doing both now."

"Get out," she then told him, a blush creeping up her face.

Her companion musician then did so with an "Okay~," keeping distance from the singer who breathed deep and went to do the forgotten task of tying her hair into a style which reminded her of her dear older sister's.

After that, she did not make mention of that awkward moment again, and neither did Jaune.

"So, how was your date last night?" Weiss went asking, fixing her bed as she tried to kick the awkwardness out of the atmosphere.

"Would you consider talking about books and the meaning of life under the broken moon romantic?" Jaune asked back, leaning on the suitcase which was tagged as his and holding a pillow which definitely wasn't one of the two which were on Weiss's bed.

"That...depends," Weiss answered, eyebrow raised as she slowed her fixing of the bedsheets. "Though that sounds awfully fast for a relationship development."

"Not really. Blake and I call it the tip of the iceberg. That's why she gave me this pillow."

"Good thing you two are taking it seriously, then."

"Wait, you understood that?"

"I came from a rich family, yes, but I'm not that dumb."

The blonde then stretched his neck and head up and forward to look at Weiss's handiwork beside him.

"I get what you mean there," he said with a look and tone which annoyed the former heiress.

Still, a look at her wrinkled pieces of work got her giving some silent praise to the eccentric innkeeper and her staff. Certainly, they possessed better housekeeping skills than what she had.

If only she had set some time for learning housekeeping with Klein...He would have thought up a schedule easily, too...but that was something she couldn't reach now.

"And I'm now more certain that you and Blake are a match made in heaven," Weiss then decided to snark back. "But not one-hundred-percent certain, of course. Even I am aware of how such things take time, you know."

"And here I thought that you were just a cold and unfeeling Ice Queen..." he said with an exaggerated dramatic tone, eyes closed and hand on chest as he slowly shook his head.

Soon enough, a grin cracked out of his face, which then met a thrown pillow.

"I'm going to go get breakfast," Weiss said with a grin of her own as she turned around to leave the room. "And you know that I'm not  _that_  cold."

That addition to her response was also accompanied by a recall of some embarrassing moments, but hey, at least they weren't followed by worse consequences.

Still, she did a deep breath to help in blowing some more awkwardness out of the atmosphere.

After all, Jaune wasn't  _that_ ugly...and of course, she didn't want to get in the way.

* * *

"Good morning to you!"

Weiss was taken aback right as she entered the pub, causing her to put her arms up in front of her.

"Well, looks like Weissy has some combat instincts!" was the continuation of the greeting given by Nora Valkyrie. "You don't look like you're good at all those martial arts stuff, though, but hey, Ren's good at that even when he looks so lanky!"

"Please don't force me to do martial arts," Weiss immediately requested, feeling a little pit forming in her stomach as she took in Nora's probable declaration of bloodlust.

"Of course I won't, Weissy!" the orange-haired girl answered with a smile. "That's what Beacon's for, you know!"

"I don't think that's even one of Beacon's primary aims..." the former heiress muttered, and before she forgot what she came to the pub for, "I'd like some breakfast now, please."

"Ooh, breakfast!" Nora exclaimed with a joyful jump, followed by marching in place. "Ren's cooking today, and let me tell you something:" And she put an arm around Weiss's shoulders, whispering, "He makes the greatest pancakes."

"Okay, pancakes, please," the wandering singer immediately replied, feeling very uncomfortable around the surges of the very energetic girl's unpredictable personality.

"Alrighty!"

And then Nora was off, just as quickly as she made her offer.

"And that makes you Pancake Customer No. 2."

Blake then made her presence known, holding an open book while sitting on one of the bar stools.

"Did you have a good date last night?" Weiss then wondered, considering how haggard Blake currently looked.

"Yeah," Blake answered, making eye contact before doing a roll of the eyes, "But work calls, and it calls loud."

"Lucia and Nora woke you up?"

"No, I haven't been sleeping a lot lately."

"Yeah, Blake woke up way earlier than me!" Nora chipped in, poking her head out of the kitchen entryway. "Are you a zombie, Blakey?"

The raven-haired girl groaned at that, and she shut her book.

"A wanderer's gotta do what a wanderer's gotta do..." Blake then breathed out, leaning back on the bar counter.

"Well, I can sympathize with you there," Weiss replied, moving to take a seat beside the other sleep-deprived girl. "Though I'm more of a morning person than you, it seems."

And then they yawned at about the same time.

"Still sleep-deprived, though," Blake added.

"Yeah...still sleep-deprived," Weiss agreed.

The two girls shared some silence for a while, the breakfast time scenery in front of them being a mostly empty and quiet time and space. Utensils clinked as travelers ate beneath the light of the brightening sun. Open windows let a blowing breeze and a salty scent in. Chatter was soft and slow.

"So..." the former heiress continued, "Wandering as well, huh?"

"I'm not a musician, though," Blake answered. "I'm planning to go to Beacon."

"Beacon, huh...Why be a Huntress, then?"

At that question, Blake spent some silence. Weiss then saw her staring at the ceiling as well.

"There's so much wrong in this world," the girl with the book then said. "It's not gonna be easy, but I think that being a Huntress...I think it's something I must do."

Silence from Weiss this time. Along with that, the former heiress stared at Blake's serious expression.

Then, a laugh erupted from Weiss.

That laugh had no mirth in it.

And as expected, Blake looked offended.

That expression doubled Weiss's laughter.

Really, it was like looking at the mirror again!

"Ooh, looks like Weissy's going crazy~" Nora entered, plates of pancakes placed on the bar counter. "What's the scoop, then?"

While Weiss let her mocking laughter pipe down, she heard Blake grumble and get off her stool, leaving the pub for the inn halls. The wandering singer didn't follow her, though.

"Huh, what's Blakey's problem?" Weiss then heard Nora say. "And will she still eat her pancakes?"

"Nora!" Ren's distant shout from the kitchen sounded. "Don't eat someone else's food without their permission!"

"Aww..." the orange-haired inn worker grumbled, but she didn't leave her spot. "Anyway, what got your tickle bone, Weissy?"

"Just..." Weiss started, but pausing for a deep breath, "I was just reminded about how foolish I was back then."

"Huh..." Nora replied with a still curious look. "That embarrassing?"

"Yes...That embarrassing." And then Weiss reached for her served plate, fork, and knife. "But for now, it is time to eat the breakfast you dearly recommended."

Nora then spent some seconds looking at the direction Blake left for, but then she went back to Weiss, watching her with an anticipating grin.

"Oh yes...You'll be melting, Weissy..."

Weiss simply snickered at that, and then she went to eat her breakfast.

As expected, it was good.

"Hmm...this is nice."

"Do you still remember your name? Do you still remember it?"

"Uhh...my name is Weiss."

"Ooh, she forgot her last name! Ren's pancakes have improved that much!?"

Weiss just looked at Nora with a dumbfounded expression, questioning how serious the pancake enthusiast was there.

But the former heiress shook her head moments later, continuing to eat her breakfast with a smile, all while Nora ran around to recommend her childhood friend's pancakes to other customers.

"So, something happened with you and Blake?"

And then there was Jaune, whose order had been taken by Nora in what seemed like a flash. He sat down on a neighboring stool, eyebrow raised at his singer companion.

Meanwhile, as she met his eyes, Weiss chewed her food while going into deeper thought about that.

And then her chewing slowed down, ending with a slow and nervous gulp.

"I may have forgotten to be tactful with my thoughts and emotions...again," she said with, hopefully, a face that showed around a quarter to a half of the nervousness that she was feeling.

At that, Jaune's smile extended, and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't forget to apologize, then," he said, and then he turned his head to a certain direction...right where Blake was standing...and peeking behind the door to the inn rooms.

Blake had a nervous look when Weiss saw her, but that nervous peek instantly turned into a sharp glare when she met eyes with the former heiress. That glare went behind the closing door as well.

If that wasn't a challenge, then Weiss wouldn't know what was.

"Good luck," Jaune added, and then he turned to face the plate of pancakes in front of his stool by the counter.

And so, Weiss, without another word, stared into the distance for some moments, and then, with a deep breath, decided to approach Blake to apologize for being an insensitive jerk again...after she ate the rest of her pancakes.

But when she went to pick her fork and knife up, she found her plate void of any remaining pancakes.

"Wait, where are my - "

"Mmhm."

Those remaining pancakes were taken by Jaune, who was giving her a serious look, as if he was saying that she deserved having the last of her pancakes taken from her as well. He had Blake's uneaten stack of pancakes guarded around one arm, too.

One of Weiss's eyes twitched at Jaune's bold actions, and she even started trembling, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath again, reminding herself to not whine about something she truly had fault in.

Still, she jumped out and stomped away from her stool, heading to Blake with a loud sigh.

Once she was past the door to the corridor of inn rooms, door closed and all, Weiss, with crossed arms, turned to face the offended ravenette.

But first, there was silence.

Well, angry silence.

And an incendiary smirk from Blake.

"If not coming here didn't mean me being left to hang with destitution, then I wouldn't have bothered coming here," Weiss then shot. "And I would've had a complete breakfast," she followed up.

"Pancakes with syrup aren't exactly a complete breakfast," Blake replied, smirk still up.

"Don't you try to go wise on me, Belladonna."

"Oh, no need. You're already  _Weiss_ , after all."

At that point, the punned found herself thinking about pulling the punner's hair, all while mentally cursing the possibility of Blake and Yang meeting and bonding over horrible puns.

"So, what was it you said about being a Huntress again?" Blake then asked, arms crossed while leaning forward with that smirk still up.

It was like Blake knew some deep and dark secret about her, and that started making Weiss nervous.

Jaune knew of her being a former Schnee. What if she really offended Jaune that much by offending Blake like that? Unfair payback is what Weiss thought of such a thing, but it was still possible. Even the wealthy weren't above doing such things, after all.

Still, it was no time to panic. All she needed to do right now was apologize, all while making subtle attempts at checking whether she was still in safe waters.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you," Weiss then said after another moment of closed eyes and deep breathing, blue eyes painfully straight at Blake's amber. "I...I just remembered how I was when I dreamed of becoming a Huntress myself...but...but I guess it's unfair to compare myself to you. You're you, after all, and I'm me. And...and I don't even know that much about you...other than you being the girl Jaune's dating right now."

And Weiss swallowed and blinked, arms already released from their crossed form as she clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and took yet another deep breath.

Indeed, the former heiress cursed her short temper more than ever at that point.

"Huh...thanks."

Weiss then opened her eyes, sharing surprise with Blake, who was looking with a pleased and friendly expression.

The wandering singer then let out a breath of relief, which the inn worker giggled at. Weiss didn't dare talk back at that, though, considering the close calls she had recently.

"We should get more sleep sometime," Blake then said. "The lack of sleep - " And then she yawned, " - is really messing us up."

"I agree," Weiss responded. "I think I can get some good sleep today, but what about you?"

"Oh, Lucia's in a good mood, I'm sure, considering how things went here last night," Blake replied, smile growing. "I think I can ask for some rest time, then."

"Well, go savor that while you can, then," the praised singer answered with a smile of her own.

"Yeah...but first, breakfast."

"Of course," Weiss agreed with a knowing smile. "Your boyfriend's waiting for you, too."

"I wouldn't exactly call him a boyfriend right now," Blake noted as she passed Weiss by. "But I do like him, that's for sure."

The door then closed, only to open for some more moments for Blake's peeking face.

"Oh, and let's talk again sometime."

And then she closed the door again, leaving a smiling Weiss.

The yawn that came out of the forgiven singer then led her to thinking about getting some more sleep, getting a bath, and the order in which the two activities were to be done.

* * *

_Dear Winter,_

_I was going to sleep after taking a bath and such, but I then remembered the importance of maintaining regular correspondence with you. With that, I hope you are doing well right now._

_Anyway, if you've been wondering about me, the recently past days have been quite a trying and learning time for me. My short temper, something you've had to deal with before, had endangered some very important relationships, and getting that close was indeed frightening. Fortunately, I managed to act quickly and smartly enough, and now I am in the midst of keeping my mind clear after the recent times of difficulty._

_Also, I do not feel like bothering to write my thoughts down with pen and paper this time. I feel as if I deserve some time with ease after all those close calls, so here I am, sending you a message via scroll. And speaking of scroll messages, I have some curiosity about the mechanics and such behind your military scroll's subscriber identity module. And yes, I am thankful for giving me that channel for communication with you, though again, I still would like to say that I hope that this doesn't inconvenience you, for I don't consider being a Specialist a casual matter._

_Anyway, I'm in a coastal city in Vale, and I had recently finished a performance last night at the inn I am currently staying in. We had help from two fellow wanderers, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, who are also working at the inn temporarily for their expenses for Beacon. One can say that they have conflicting personalities - Ren being quiet and Nora being boisterous - but they are used to each other, especially with them being childhood friends. Now that I think about them, though, I wonder why they're wandering all alone. Do they have parents? If not, then I guess I can say that I'm somewhat luckier than them. Still, maybe that's an unfair thing to say. They're not me, after all, and they'll never be._

_I guess some of that Schnee pride still causes trouble, then. Though I do feel good about this path I chose, still. I don't have to worry that much about my companions' loyalty anymore...though I probably will have to deal with the whispers of the public yet again, for better or for worse. The path I'm taking still has a spotlight, after all._

_Ah, and before I forget, the inn I am currently in is the Pearly Shores Inn, run by an elderly but still energetic woman named Lucia. I hope that you gather up enough patience for her if you ever meet her, though, as she can be a very trying woman with her attempts at youthfulness. And please don't worry if you ever have to stay here, as the services and facilities here are decent, as far as I've observed._

_Now...well...I shall try to take some rest for a while. I shall try to sleep again, to be more specific, as I am deprived of that, though having better sleep in the long run will need a lot more well-timed sleep and awakening times. After some more time with sleep, I shall take some time to explore the city, though I should take some time to communicate with Jaune about our next targets for our work. Maybe the city exploration would lead me to prospective locations, now that I think about it, so perhaps a stroll with Jaune would be worthwhile...well, if I won't be bothering him and Blake, that is. Blake's the girl whom Jaune is currently dating, by the way. She's similar to him, particularly in terms of the wisecracking, but she has a friendly side, a side I managed to earn, fortunately._

_And now...I shall try sleeping again. Good day to you as well._

_Your dear sister,_

_Weiss_

_P.S. I almost forgot to tell Lucia about that added pay for Ren and Nora...and please send Klein my regards...and my regrets about not learning housekeeping with him._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hello, I have returned, and months after the previous update, too. I'm also back to school now, which means a higher likelihood of more sudden updates like this. I pretty much consider this extracurricular more now, though, so I don't think I should be worrying about updating this a lot more regularly. Still, if I end up having enough time for this outside of school and house responsibilities, then hey, why not continue working on this to keep my writing skills sharp?

Anyway, on to some stuff that are more related to the contents of the story.

So yeah, to those who have been wondering, Cinder's plot will be involved, but I don't think it would be as focused on as canon does, nor would it be the same as the canon flow. Also, as a bunch of the canon events and their time skips in between is something that hasn't been made very clear and specific by CRWBY, I've taken liberties with that. I would understand the confusion, though, as I don't remember making the specifics of certain characters' Beacon enrollment clear enough.

Also, this may be disappointing, considering the fun that can be found in shifting points-of-view and how such shifting seems like quite a trend these days, but hey, this story will be in Weiss's POV only. So yeah, I apologize for any disappointment caused. Anyway, with that, expect certain stuff to have less focus or even no focus at all, making them seem out of the blue once they come into Weiss's awareness.

And last but not least, Inthretis gets a lot of thanks from me again! He made me think about how to involve certain characters into the plot, see...and that's pretty much it for now.

Now, don't forget to give honest constructive feedback, dear readers! They're highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated!


	12. Compassion

"Okay, now where can we find Blakey and Jauney~?"

"Nora, let's just help Weiss out."

"No need to worry so much. I can look around on my own."

Weiss did plan to take a look around Abalone with some companions, but Jaune and Blake wanted some more time together, and Nora, who tended to drag Ren along, was more interested in spying on the dating couple.

The former heiress didn't regret asking for the childhood friends' added pay, but still, she would rather do her prospecting without too much distraction. Besides, the two deserved a break after the extra work she had them do during the previous day.

"How about we check the library?" Nora wondered, still adamant about her breaktime plan. "Or the bookstore! Blake's definitely a bookworm, especially towards stuff like that little Ninja book of hers~"

"Uh, you can go do what you want, Weiss," Ren waved off with a worried expression. "I'll take care of Nora. I'm more used to this than you think."

"Alright, then," Weiss complied, and she spent some seconds watching Nora zip around the streets and Ren chasing after his childhood friend.

Then, the wandering singer turned around, her arms on their respective sides of her waist as she let out a breath of sea-salt-scented air and looked at her surroundings.

The lines of harbor stores and fishing boats some distance away showed how much the city depended on the sea and its resources. The city didn't look like a home for the rich and luxurious, though, considering the huddled presence of homely inns, simple diners, and small stores by the coast. Some were wide single-storeys, while others were narrower two-storeys. People still strolled leisurely on the sandy beach, though it seemed like the number of tourists were balanced out by the number of people who wore clothes which were more functional than stylish, making them seem more like workers who were taking a break or lazing around.

Seeing all that, Weiss found the seaside scenery of Abalone more refreshing than what she knew about the extravagantly appreciated and tightly secured beaches of Vacuo, which she never really visited before because of her mostly Atlas-based training as heiress and her aversion to places with heat being a dominant aspect of their climate.

And speaking of things which reminded her of luxury and such, there were some souvenir shops as well, showing that the city had some notability, especially in terms of the fish. Said fish depicted in the tourist magnet items were shown in simple yet humorous ways through ornaments and clothing and the like, with the fish drawn deformed and smiling.

Still, discovering that the city had that much pride made the place seem more unfamiliar to her. As for her presence in a place with hotter climate, well, it was manageable, considering how she was in a cooler part of the continent of Sanus.

And hey, Weiss's attention then went to her own smell...which reminded her to take a bath once she got back to the inn. She wouldn't be as expensive-smelling as she was before, but hygiene still held importance.

Anyway, it was time to think about where to look first in terms of prospective audiences. Acoustic bands like hers and Jaune's seemed likely to be more attractive in the city with surprising quaintness, something which was more proven by the audiences they had during the previous day's rehearsals.

Now, the question at this point was "Where are the very profitable places?" Not like the Pearly Shores Inn was not profitable, but Weiss and Jaune's work required variety and width in terms of audience as well, which, if the cards were played right, would lead to attention that would get them somewhere more stable.

And yes, Weiss didn't mind being less of a vagabond, as she had to admit that the uncertainty in their wanderer's prospecting didn't give them a lot of security. Still, she would make sure that she and Jaune would have creative independence if they were to be handled by a label, and she would also make sure that those higher-ups would be upright and respectful as well.

With that in mind, the coast seemed to be a good place to start. The proximity between the fishers' workplace plus tourist attraction and the inns and diners was short, and Weiss was above having too much of a sense of debt towards employers she worked for before, especially with Jaune to consider. After all, he would need to be consulted if they would end up facing a break and a label, and he may not have as much interest as she has in such things.

And now, she set her sights on one diner with a street-dancing advertiser in a funny fish costume by its entrance.

Considering the audience they had and what the audience whispered, the dancing fish mascot and their upbeat music seemed to be a regular morning occurrence.

When the dance was finished, the dancer then raised up a sign that said "NEW DISHES ON INTRO!"

There was applause, and then there were people who went past the dancing mascot and into the diner. Said diner's name was named "The Flipping Fish," and right beside its entrance was a cardboard cutout of the blue but bubbly mascot that was depicted by the dancer's costume.

Although it looked more well-off than the other shops, it still had the simple feel of the rest of the shops on the street, for it didn't look as ridiculous as the dancer's fish costume on the outside.

But even if they tried to do so, facades can't tell everything about the establishments which they are a part of.

And so, Weiss decided to take a look inside The Flipping Fish, even though it seemed to be growing a little too bustling for wandering musicians like her and Jaune.

Besides, she had an idea which would involve that costumed dancer...

Suddenly, as she went on her confident strut towards the diner's entrance, Weiss got bumped into by someone.

"Hey!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Well, watch where you're going, then," the annoyed Weiss told the other girl, who was wearing a bandana (which seemed to be quite common headwear in Abalone, now that Weiss thought about it) over her somewhat familiar face...

"I'm sorry!" the bandana-wearing girl repeated with a bow as she rushed forward and into the diner, leaving Weiss with a look of disbelief.

Still, Weiss shook her head and sighed, trying not to let such a small blunder ruin her day.

Anyway, when the wandering singer entered the filling establishment, she encountered the smell of fish being cooked, the sound of more upbeat countryside music, and the sight of cheery servers - who seem to have started their day quite well - moving around a room walled and floored by concrete and ceramics.

Along with that, she could hear some distant shouting of orders from the cooks in the kitchen. Also, there was a raised platform that was conspicuously void of people, meaning that the establishment had space for performers.

Hm, looks like it's a lucky d -

"Welcome to The Flipping Fish, Miss!"

Weiss let out a yelp but, fortunately, didn't fall to the ground when she jumped upon noticing the dancer in the ridiculous fish costume up close beside her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss!" the dancer apologized, waving hands in front before taking off the smiling head.

The former heiress then met the face of a lightly tanned young man with brown hair, brown eyes, and a blush on his face.

"Well, I think the costume works better on the stage and such, and...not for personal interactions," she told him, arms crossed as she leaned and stepped a little to the side.

"Yeah, I've been told stuff like that before..." he replied with a sheepish chuckle. "But, uh...would you like a seat and some recommendations? I haven't seen someone as pretty as you here before, you see..."

With arms still crossed, Weiss's jaw slowly dropped.

Sure, he was nice, but despite having dealt with rich old people and their rich snotty sons who wanted to leech from the SDC via marriage and all that, having to deal with smitten boys was something she wasn't used to yet...especially when they were sufficiently confident, sufficiently earnest, and never looked at her because of her name and fame as Weiss Schnee.

Even with Jaune shooing away infatuated boys with some guarding looks and some choice words, it was surprisingly easy for a boy her age to make Weiss flustered that way...especially when said nicer boys approached her more than the rough ones.

She may have been disowned as a Schnee, but she still had her pretty looks and her graceful air...though she was now feeling like it was a little too much for her.

Still, there was no point in just wishing for Jaune's presence at this point, nor was there a lot of good in tearing off what she considered vital parts of her personality, so she took a deep breath and tried to gather up some words in response, not letting herself be too conscious of her own blushing.

"Mack, you can flirt later!" a female voice shouted from the background, which came from a woman, one who looked older but similar to the dancer named Mack, behind the counter. "We got dishes to cook and serve, you know!"

"Ah, okay, okay!" Mack went, turning in place to different directions before pausing and then moving towards a door on one side of the place, which had a staircase that probably lead to the residence floor of the establishment. "Sorry, Sis!" he also shouted before shutting the door and leaving with the muffled sounds of hurried steps.

Weiss then let out a breath, a rough sound coming out with her nervousness, though she tried to remind herself about not making such a big deal out of it.

Now, looking at the busy place, she then found herself lacking a space where she could sit and eat by herself. That got her arms crossed and lips shaped into a frown, and she stood like that for a while, thinking twice about making a server hurry up or just waiting until one of the servers noticed her.

During that period, Weiss then noticed someone standing, apparently trying to get her attention with an aimed look and a waving arm.

It was that woman who bumped into her.

Well, why not make a friendship while making reparations?

And so, Weiss dropped her arms back to her sides as she went towards that woman's table.

When she went to sit on the leather-cushioned bench across her current tablemate's, said tablemate also did the same.

"Hello," greeted the bandana-wearing girl with green eyes and a sheepish smile.

And yes, now that she thought about it, Weiss was more certain that she was talking with someone close to her age, for she knew of one teenage celebrity fighter from Mistral whose diction of simple words like "Hello!" and "I'm sorry!" had become a source of humor for her fans.

"Pyrrha Nikos, I assume?" the former heiress went, wearing a mischievous smile. It sounded like a good joke, and the chances of her listener being the referenced figure were -

Wait, that nervous look seemed to be saying something...

And again, Weiss's jaw slowly dropped.

"Uhm..." the actual Pyrrha Nikos tried to respond, hands folded together as alternated looks between left and right, "Please don't tell anyone, okay?"

The Weiss who was now a former Schnee could only blink at that for a while.

"I'm just a girl on vacation right now," the champion from Mistral continued, her tone becoming more pleading, "And it's hard to do so with fans chasing after me. Please understand. Please!"

That last "Please!" was also accented by Pyrrha grabbing Weiss's hands, making the latter jump a little.

"I understand," Weiss answered with a nod, trying to put on a professional tone and face for a more reassuring feel to a very important person. "I shall not spread note of your presence in public, be it physical or virtual."

"Oh, thank goodness..." Pyrrha then released with a sigh of relief. "Thank you very much. And, uhm...what's your name?"

At that, Weiss spent some moments of silence, considering the weight that she'd to carry after revealing her name, even it would just be her first name, to someone she had met for a short amount of time before.

Hmm...maybe she wouldn't be recognized that easily, then, considering her current appearance and stage name...

"Weiss," she then answered. "Wandering Weiss. Not Weiss Schnee."

And this time, it was Weiss's nervousness which increased. Pyrrha was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a tilted head, as if she would find something familiar if she just turned the picture a little and painted it over a little bit...

Hm, in hindsight, maybe adding the "Not Weiss Schnee" part really was as bad as those stories showed...

"Really?" the bandana-wearing champion went. "The Weiss Schnee I know looks more...prim and proper..."

If Weiss were to be honest about her thoughts on that statement, her Schnee pride was currently feeling some sting.

Sure, her skin may have darkened a little, and she may be a disowned heiress who was working as a wandering singer now, but that did not mean that the girl named Weiss could not and did not have a sense of manners and style!

But lying to someone who was friendly AND understood the pain of being at the top?

Considering her current place in the hierarchy of society, a friendship with Pyrrha Nikos was a treasure that shone even more to Weiss's eyes.

"What if I said that I'm a disowned heiress who's working as a wandering singer now?" Wandering Weiss then presented to Pyrrha, eyes locked as she lowered the volume of her voice and moved her face foward.

For a while, the Mistralian was silent.

"I can acknowledge the possibility..." the Mistralian then answered, pausing as if she were considering her next words, "...but I honestly think that you are simply that look-alike who is the current talk of the CCT social network rumor mills..."

"What?"

On one hand, her Schnee pride felt some more sting, but on the other hand, she was amazed at how easier hiding in plain sight had become.

But first, she needed further info for confirmation, which Pyrrha was delivering.

"Well, various people online have been sharing photos and remarks about you, a Weiss Schnee look-alike who does things that the real Weiss Schnee would never do," the celebrity fighter informed. "Not to say that they do not admire you, but a lot of them have difficulty imagining the real Weiss Schnee, a young woman of such standing, looking more like a common citizen of Remnant and...doing things that common citizens would do. Still, there are, well, conspiracy theorists, so to speak, who think that Weiss Schnee got herself disowned and ended up becoming someone so poor...but on the bright side, don't worry! A lot of them hope that you would get discovered by the better side of the entertainment industry! Though, uh, some of your fans would rather have you recognized by your own merits rather than looking like someone more famous..."

Okay, further damaged yet healed Schnee pride aside, there was one more thing to ensure.

"But what do you honestly think, Pyrrha?" Wandering Weiss asked, sharpening her gaze and hardening her tone. "Who do you think I am?"

"Well..."

The slow response then caused a mixture of emotions within Weiss. Anticipation, nervousness, fear, confidence, a mixture of paradoxes and such.

And yes, even the overall picture of her current emotional state was a mixture of paradoxes. Her Schnee name, former though it may be, held importance, but so did living a new life and leaving her old one behind.

Even if the only solid support to her Schnee pride was her older sister Winter, whom she considered to dear to her, didn't that still make her roots as a Schnee precious?

"I can't believe it but...I think you really are who you claim to be," Pyrrha admitted, voice also lowered and made more gentle, though there was that trace of surprise, especially in her widening eyes, which honestly made Weiss feel like she ended up alienating herself via a little too drastic an identity change. "As someone who has had to wear a mask for the public, I think I can recognize a cracked or removed mask and the face under it, such as when we met in that one formal gathering in Mistral, which we both didn't like...though maybe I am wrong, which you should correct me about if that is the case. We never really talked much back then, after all."

And then they shared silence.

Both of them leaned back to the leather of their respective backrests, but they still did so in slience. Weiss did it first, followed by Pyrrha.

"You won't tell anyone, then?" the former heiress asked.

"Of course, Weiss," the celebrity champion ensured with a smile. "Even if I have to die protecting you. And I will also not ask further about what actually happened to you."

"You don't have to go so far, though," Weiss rebuked, unsettled by Pyrrha's seriousness. "Don't you have a life you want to live?"

"I know mine, Weiss," Pyrrha firmly replied. "For the good of others, I shall live, and I shall fight until my time comes. But I do want to experience things like falling in love as well. I guess I can say that I am somewhat of a hypocrite, then..."

"Don't worry, I understand..."

Indeed, she had found a friend...and a friend she could laugh with, too.

"Can we exchange scroll numbers, then?" Weiss asked after laughing with Pyrrha. "I changed mine when I left, see."

"Alright, then," Pyrrha complied, taking out her scroll as Weiss did the same. "I don't mind sporadic communication, though I would appreciate a chat even while I'm in Beacon and you're out moving around Remnant."

"You're going to Beacon?"

"Why, yes. It's a fairly peaceful place, don't you think?"

"Well...I would agree with you, as I think that it is the gentlest among the four Hunter Academies...though I wouldn't think that life there would be as easy as it seems."

"Of course it will still be difficult. And I hope I won't be a bother if I send you messages from time to time..."

"It's okay, don't worry."

"Uhh...i-is there anything you two p-pretty visitors would like?"

And then the two young women turned their heads to the young man named Mack, who was now wearing a sleeveless waiter's outfit.

He also looked like he had been caught red-handed.

"We citizens of Abalone very much appreciate simplicity and humility, and with that, you can be sure that your secrets are safe with me!" he rattled out with a nervously quieted voice. "And I'm sorry...so, uh...c-can I take your order? Or w-would you like some r-recommendations first?"

Some seconds of silent staring were done, and then a smiling Weiss turned to Pyrrha.

"Will you do the honors?" the former asked with a teasing lilt. "You were somewhat rude a while ago..."

"I shall..." the latter answered, some embarrassment dusting red on her face, though she still turned to Mack and ordered with confidence. "We would like two orders of one of the new dishes, the Flipping Huntress Special, as it looks quite appealing."

"My sister will definitely be thankful for your compliments!" Mack replied with a thumbs-up and a salute. "Two Flipping Huntress Specials it is, then!"

And then he rushed back to the counter, where he seemed to stop in realization that he had forgotten something, followed by writing something down with the pen and notepad he realized was holding.

"That guy complimented me a while ago..." Weiss mentioned. "And I was caught off-guard, especially when he didn't recognize me as Weiss Schnee."

"You don't see boys like that everyday, after all," Pyrrha chuckled.

"But when you're a wanderer like me, the opposite holds more water," Weiss commented with a laugh.

"Is that so? How surprising...but it makes sense. And speaking of boys, I would like a boy whom I can meet nearby more often. Now, as I do not think that you have boys in high priority as of now, how is your work?"

"Well...Jaune, my partner, and I performed at the Pearly Shores Inn last night, and while he's out on break with his girlfriend, I'm currently scouting for profitable places to perform. He deserves the break, though, especially since I haven't been doing the heavier work a lot in our time together."

"You have a partner? And a male one too...What sort of person is he?"

"He's around my age, but from the way I've observed him act, he seems to have gone through difficulties while working by himself as a wandering musician, particularly with Hunters. He's also related to those Arcs, and he does appreciate his family, but he seems to have issues...which I'm not going to pry about...well, for now, probably."

"He seems like quite a person, then."

"Yeah. But all those aside, he does have a sense of concern for others, and we're getting along, although we've had some rough times along the way."

"I see..."

"Say...do you have any places you can recommend? Like, places Jaune and I can perform at with good payment."

"Well...I am uncertain about whether or not they would be up to your standards, but I would like to tell you of some places in Vale and Mistral which are certainly worth performing at. They are usually places which I hid in while taking a break, so I would understand if you do not consider them."

"Really? Thank you, then. And they're still options, things I have to be more open-minded about. Who knows, maybe they'll be more worthwhile than you thought."

"I'm glad for the appreciation, then, Weiss."

"Your two Flipping Huntress Specials are here, dear ladies!"

And then the two addressed ladies jumped at the sudden presence of Mack the waiter, who was carrying two plates filled with a seasoned slab of deboned fish meat surrounded by vegetables.

Also, said plates almost fell off and slid their contents off after noticing the surprise that the surpriser caused.

"I'm sorry again..." Mack added with a feebler voice and a head closer to hunched shoulders. "Here's your food..."

The food was served, complete with utensils, and the waiter's parting whisper before zipping away again were:

"...and I recommend eating it with your bare hands..."

Again, there was silence between the two girls.

Then, laughter burst out.

"Though I still haven't checked for any openings for musicians," Weiss then thought out loud with a raised index finger as she was about to try following Mack's recommendation.

"Let's not waste what we ordered, though, Weiss." Pyrrha chipped in. "And besides, don't you think you should make sure that the place you would like to perform in has good food and service?"

"Hm, fair point. Alright, then, let us go eat...and you'll be paying."

"Haha...yes, I know that, Weiss."

* * *

"Hey...are you Pyrrha Nikos, by any chance?"

"W-What?"

Just as the two young ladies finished eating, an apron-wearing woman who looked somewhat older and also looked similar to Mack approached them with a forward bend and a grinning whisper.

"And how would you be able to guess such a thing?" Weiss ended up trying to distract because of a mix of panic and indebtedness, considering that she had doubts about how her inquiry would hold in the face of such a confident woman. "Everyone may be unique, but there are cases of look-alikes - physically, at least - here and there."

At that, Pyrrha's smile turned hopeful, but Weiss was certain about her mask of confidence having some cracks.

Also, come to think of it, Winter probably would've scolded the younger Schnee for worrying a little too much about her mask of confidence...and it was a good thing that Jaune wasn't here, because he probably would've embarrassed her further, seeing the so-called Ice Queen crack under the pressure of someone more confident AND more skilled than her...

"Nice try, shortstack," the woman patronized, still grinning. "I don't know about you, but I do know a certain champion from Mistral when I see her..." she continued, turning to a horrified Pyrrha, "'Cause I watch her matches a lot and use them as study material for combat lessons. And your face just screams the rest that I need to know, you know?"

"Uhm..." was the champion's response, and that was pretty much the sound she uttered as she turned her head in hopes of checking whether they were the only spectators of their own predicament or not.

Meanwhile, Weiss was very close to putting the diner - and maybe even the whole city - on her blacklist, drag Jaune - girlfriend tagging along or not - out of the city, and never come back for a definitely long time of indefinite length.

"Don't worry, I know how it feels to be famous," the knowing woman tried to assure with a whisper, although the confidence she had in her tone was still worrying, "And sure, I may be just hometown famous, but still, it's annoying to have fans stalk and shriek around you, don't you think?"

"Uhm..." Pyrrha went again, and after some more nervous glancing, "Yes...Yes, it does..."

"I'm glad you agree, then!" the woman went with a beaming smile and a thumbs-up. "Now, would you like a free order of the Flipping Huntress Special for takeout?" And then she whispered with a wink, "Oh, and your tab here's on the house, don't worry."

"Oh...s-sure...T-Thank you..." the redhead went, and then she let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the former heiress's eyes narrowed at what had just transpired.

Sure, it wasn't as bad as what her father usually did, but Weiss was certain that the woman in front of them had just manipulated the overly polite Pyrrha into subtly endorsing The Flipping Fish.

Quite sneaky, indeed...and luckily, Weiss's taste buds were impressed by said meal, otherwise she would've decided to start doing some subtle boycotts...though maybe that would be hypocritical of her, now that she thought about it some more...

And not for the first time in her life, she sighed, quietly wishing that the world of business wasn't so moral-twisting.

Anyway, Weiss had business to do as well.

"Excuse me, Miss..." the wandering singer called, trailing off with focused eyes on the older woman.

"Tuney!" the tall - and she looked taller than Pyrrha with the way she stood straight - and tan woman answered, still smiling. "My parents thought that 'Tuna' was quite a generic name, so they decided to go creative! 'Sides, Color Rule's pretty ambiguous, and the Councils know that we people of Remnant don't wanna bother making all that naming harder, so luckily, there's some leeway for some name modifications!"

And while Tuney continued to smile after giving that piece of trivia, Weiss just blinked and stared.

"That's interesting..." Pyrrha commented, though Weiss wasn't sure about whether or not that was just out of politeness or was already politeness mixed with honesty.

But that wasn't the main point of discussion that Wandering Weiss wanted to have right now.

"Yes, that's interesting, but I was going to ask about whether or not this diner is in need of performers here," the white-haired girl continued, her tone working like a hammer that slammed down to create a sobering shockwave. "I see that you have a space for such over there, and I am a wandering singer who would like to inquire about that now."

And then there was surprised silence from the two females around Weiss.

The former heiress tried not to falter with her assertiveness, though she felt as if she was being judged for being rude.

Well, business meant competition, and competition meant some shoving from time to time, especially for the healthy sort...at least, that's how she hoped it would work.

Maintaining seriousness then became somewhat more difficult when the waitress narrowed her eyes and gave her a frown.

Still, Weiss went reminding herself about how the older woman seemed to show signs of being another womanchild to deal with. Though Weiss felt like Tuney deserved some bluntness, the younger female hoped that the womanchild aspect wasn't going to be a trend.

"Talk about spitfire from someone so young..." the older woman then grumbled. "And a wanderer too. Definitely not one of the usual ones, indeed..."

Weiss felt some worry at that, considering the sharpness of the woman's eyes and tone. There was more certainty about how Tuney had a sharper mind than she seemed to have, and the wanderer started feeling a little regret about how she went and dealt with the woman's childish behavior...but it would be foolish to cower against such irritating underestimation.

"I can assure you that you, your colleagues, and your customers will be begging for an encore from me...and my companion," Weiss added, almost forgetting Jaune in her fueled response, "Once we're done with our performance. And even with that, you'll miss us once we leave for another place to work and stay at."

Again, surprised silence. Weiss's burning eyes were still on Tuney's, too.

And then the older woman sniggered...and then she laughed hard. Weiss felt a mix of embarrassment and anger at that, but she made them fuel her visual focus on Tuney.

"Ah, I have quite a feeling about you, and I find it hilarious!" the older woman went as she finished laughing, giving a grin now. "Alright, I'm okay with you, but you'll have to talk with my parents about that first. Proper processing flow and all that, you know?"

"Bring me to him, then," the former heiress then went, standing up, wanting to waste no time.

"Well, this gets better and better..." the older woman remarked, and then she turned to the side with one hand beside her mouth. "Hey, Mack!"

"Yeah, Sis?" said young man asked with a raised face as he finished serving food to another table of customers. He also looked surprised moments later.

"Go bring this wandering singer here," the grinning older sister ordered with a grin, "To Ma and Pa."

"..."

For a while, Mack didn't say anything, only staring with that surprised look...and then red seemed to start dusting up on his face...

And then he zipped away to the door which led to a staircase.

"Wait for it..." Tuney went, still grinning.

That door opened again, revealing Mack wearing his fish costume's head while still wearing his waiter's outfit.

"I shall bring you to Ma and Pa!" the ridiculous waiter boy declared with a fist launched to the air. "Follow me!"

"And don't forget to tell them that you're engaged!" Tuney decided to add, causing Mack to throw a punch, which the laughing older woman dodged with a quick lean to the side.

Weiss facepalmed and groaned at that.

Still, the wandering singer gave Pyrrha a resigned "Take care" which was answered with a sheepish "Good luck...and I'm sorry..." before the former went to follow the fish-headed waiter/dancer.

"And don't harass her, Sis!" the fish-headed younger brother added with a look over his shoulder. "Even if your recipe is a good one!"

"Oh come on, it's not like I'm gonna -  _Oh_   _come on!_ "

Good thing Pyrrha got the hint and dashed out.

And considering the stack of lien on the table, she didn't forget to pay!

* * *

"Well, well, well, did our fancy dancing fish finally get himself a tourist girlfriend?" teased a stout and mustached man who had darker skin and was also a few inches below his own son's height.

And then there was a chorus of teasing squeals, a lot of them coming from people who shared features with Mack, Tuney, and their father.

Looks like this particular diner was run by quite an active family, then. That, and it would take some time for Weiss to fully process that and its implications.

"Meet the family..." Mack went, head hanging and shoulders slumping.

"Wait, is she really your girlfriend, son?" asked a lighter-skinned woman with some wrinkles on her face and some gray hair within her black hair. "Did you become his girlfriend, young lady?" the mother then asked Weiss.

"No," Weiss answered without hesitation, to which the mother and the other curious onlookers ended up laughing.

"Stop embarrassing me, guys..." the fish-headed son groaned as he went on all-fours on the floor. "She's just a wandering singer who wants to perform here."

"But isn't Comedy Night today, though?" asked one bespectacled family member, who was likely one of Mack and Tuney's brothers.

"..."

There was chatter in the background, but as it was ignored by Weiss, it could be said that there was silence as she also observed Mack raise his head slightly...and then he threw his fish mascot head off.

"TUNEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Yup, no luck here.

* * *

"I'm really really sorry, Miss...Uhm, I'm sorry, but I don't know your name yet...ahaha..."

"It's Weiss. And don't worry, there's, well, plenty more fish in the sea, right?"

"Yeah...you're right," Mack agreed with a smile, though he was still blushing.

Meanwhile, Weiss was surprised at how she didn't even try to negotiate like the cutthroats her family (Yes, even Winter, especially considering her occupation) tended to be, let alone tear the guy a new one after finding out about how the diner's performance night schedule actually went. Maybe it was Mack's feather-like honesty...or perhaps it should be referred to as his inability to lie politely?

Either way, it was refreshing for Weiss to interact with a boy who was way less snarky than Jaune. But if he were interested in her, then she would have to turn him down and ask that they just be friends, as she didn't consider herself stable enough to even think of going into a romantic relationship yet.

"So..." the dancer continued, "Will we see each other again?"

"Do you tell that to every tourist girl you flirt with?"

Weiss couldn't help responding that way after looking at the guy's pleading face. Refreshing it may have been, but now, it was getting more annoying already, honestly.

"Uh..."

Well, looks like she just pitied the guy. Weiss sighed as she watched him be tongue-tied.

"Don't worry, it's not like I hate you," the wandering singer then expressed, "But I think we should just be friends. I'm not really ready for the sort of relationship you wish for yet, as being a wanderer is something without a lot of security, something I have a long way to go before firmly getting my grasp on it...and even that looks uncertain as well."

"Oh..." the rejected boy responded, looking down. "I'm sorry...I guess I should listen to Tuney more, then...She's a Huntress, you know," he continued with a small smile, "And she has a lot of stories from back when she was active and often out of the city."

It seems that the wise womanchild character was a trend in this city, then. Stressfully amazing, indeed.  _Stressfully_ amazing.

"So I guess..." Mack continued, "This is goodbye?"

"Yeah," Weiss answered, not even bothering to add some slow blinking to that. "Goodbye. And I hope you find the right girl for you. Maybe she's in this town...or maybe she's a lucky tourist."

"Hahaha...ha..." Mack laughed, the awkward rhythm of it seeming more like a sign of him taking a hint.

"Girl, we could've welcomed you into the family for that, you know?" Tuney suddenly entered, standing with a grin beside the doorway into the large diner. "Like, there's always room for sass in - "

"Tuney!" Mack exclaimed with raised fists, and then he spent some moments to turn to Weiss. "Miss Weiss, you can go now. I'll deal with my sister."

And Weiss left with a laugh.

"Take that, you womanchild..." she whispered to herself with a grin after her laugh.

Still, she sighed as she walked away, for she needed to think about how payment collection should go for wandering performers, and she still had to look for a place which could accept...Oh wait, she could just contact -

"Hello!"

Looks like she still had some luck, then...

And so, Weiss really left with a laugh.

"Uhm...Weiss, your laugh is making me nervous..."

"That is the laugh of victory, Pyrrha. I'm sure you know how that sounds. Now, about those places you can recommend..."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And we now have more OCs, yo. And if there's something I wanna do when it comes to worldbuilding, then it's working on the more mundane aspects of the world...and that is also quite challenging.

Also, there's Pyrrha! Of course, with the Jaune in this scenario, they won't be having something like their Meet Cute in canon.

And speaking of canon characters, I have plans for one of them to become an additional companion to our wandering duo of musicians, and not in the guest party member way of RPGs.

Oh, and yes, my tracking and viewing of RWBY Volume 5 is already in progress. The animation and the music, especially in the battle scenes, still is breathtaking to me, which further complicates my conflicting relationship with today's battle-packed shounen and superhero stories, stuff I think we're having too much of lately. The voice acting's not so bad, too...but if we're talking about the story, well, I'm personally not into the whole Battlequest Against The Big Bad sort of fantasy story as much as I was when I was younger, especially with awareness regarding how complicated people and nature can be in reality.

So yeah, if you were to ask me about what I particularly like about RWBY, then it would be the animation, the music, and the voice acting. The writing, well...I'd call it average. Still, I think there's some engaging complexity in it, particularly with the personalities of certain characters and certain aspects of the world of Remnant.

And with that, I now end this with a request for honest constructive feedback, which is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated.


End file.
